


Light Within the Darkness

by PeacefulTyrant (Passionate_Angel)



Series: Light Within the Darkness [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst, Decepticons being Decepticons, Drinking, Eventual AU, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Obsessions, Past Rape/Non-con, Pre-Prime Series, Romance, blood/gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-28 00:19:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 44,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2712035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Passionate_Angel/pseuds/PeacefulTyrant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <strong>Discontinued! Now going through a complete rewrite!</strong>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heart of the Nemesis

**Author's Note:**

> You may want to save the following to a word document or something...unless you're like me and can memorise it all. And yes, I realise that not all the time-terms are correct, but that was done on purpose. I always do everything with reason, no matter how small it seems.
> 
> Terms:  
> hexad = A subgroup of six  
> hexadmate/s = Used by one member of a hexad when referring to another/more than one member.
> 
> Distance: (I calculated the metric measurements to the closest decimal as I could, for all the people using the PROPER system)  
> espe = Decepticon measurement of distance - 3 feet/0.9 meters  
> hister = Decepticon measurement of distance - 60 feet/18.3 meters  
> kilohister = Decepticon kilometre - 1000 hister, 11 miles/18.3 kilometres
> 
> Time:  
> nanoklik = 2 seconds  
> klik = 31 nanokliks/62 seconds  
> breem = 8 kliks/8.27 minutes  
> groon = 9 breem/1.24 hours  
> joor = 6 groon/7.44 hours  
> orbital = 1 Cybetronian day  
> solar cycle = daytime  
> lunar cycle = nighttime  
> orn = 42 joor/13.02 Earth days  
> diun = month, 2 orns/25 orbitals  
> decaorn = 32 orns/1.14 Earth years  
> metacycle = 8 decaorn/9.22 Earth years  
> vorn = 9 metacycles/72 decaorn/83 Earth years  
> decavorn = 100 Cybertronian years/833 Earth years  
> kilovorn = 1,000 Cybertronian years/8,333 Earth years  
> decilivorn = 10,000 Cybertronian years/83,333 Earth years  
> hekavorn = 100,000 Cybertronian years/833,333 Earth years  
> Conversation:  
> \text\ Seeker language (my invention as far as I know, feel free to use it; with credit of course)  
> ::text:: comm chatter  
> ~text~ bond chatter  
> |text| temporary processor link during spark-merge (again, my brain child as far as I know)  
> "~text~" singing...yes, you read right, singing...no this is not a songfic, so don't press/touch that back arrow just yet.
> 
> Don't worry about the OC's and who they're paired with. Although they are vital to the story, it's my first time making Transformer OC's, so go easy on me. Although I must admit, personally they are way better than the countless Unintentional-Mary Sue ones I made for a Sonic the Hedgehog story I wrote and abandoned four years ago on DA. I actually did heaps of research (two months worth) so that they didn't end up Mary-Sue's this time, I just hope and pray to any deity that'll listen that I succeeded. 
> 
> Now, enjoy this story of epic proportions and be prepared for glorious gore (the sick part of my mind decided to take a swing at writing and...*fic says hello*) as well as gorgous smut ranging from slight BDSM to adorable tender love making. So, sit back, get your popcorn (unless your device is new, if so, then don't) and enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> **See me for what I am, watch me as I burn from within**  
>  **The fire lit by these feelings I can't express**  
>  **For if I did, my enemies would exploit them**  
>  **Can you see me now, do you know who and what I am?**  
>  **I'm a Decepticon**  
> 

~Moonbeam's POV~

 _Clank clank clank._ With the stride of the soldiers that we are we march through the corridors of the Nemesis, Vehicons holding their guns to our helms and backs. The last set of dark grey doors open and we enter the control room, the heart of the operation within our enemy's flying fortress. Sitting in the commander's chair is the ex-gladiator and King of the Decepticons. Lord Megatron himself. My wings twitch, out of the corner of my optics my Second in Command, Solarflare, tenses slightly as her servo hovers over the dagger hidden beneath her hip plating. I rumble my engine in warning; she glares at me and reluctantly relaxes. The Decepticons need to trust us, our mission is to observe and record their battle strategies; what better way to do so than to join them?

My youngest sister, Starhopper, was extremely alarmed and skittish at the thought of this. Red Giant was obedient as always and the first to agree with me, while White Dwarf was quietly muttering to himself about how it'll be a suicide mission. The second youngest, Nebula, made good use of her golden glossa and got everyone to settle down while I went to explain my plan to Ultra Magnus. He also said that it would be risky, but four feminine and two masculine Seeker frames would fit into our enemy's ranks perfectly; the former would most likely be a welcoming sight to the thirsty optics of the mechs. The only femmes that our enemies have are Breeding Drones, which are in Shockwave's lab, other than that there are none in the higher ranks whatsoever.

"Hmm, well now," the deep, harsh vocaliser of the silver titan nearly makes my knees buckle from a combination of the raw power it holds and the unwanted desi-...fear it creates within my spark, "what do we have here?"

The tall, slim Con known as Soundwave steps forward and a clip plays on his visor; it's of my siblings and I being rounded up by Buzzsaw, Laserbeak, Thundercracker and Skywarp.

"Let's get you Autobot Seekers to Lord Megatron," Thundercracker's vocaliser growls somewhere out of the visor's view and the clip ends.

"And what pretty Seekers they are," the sound of the Decepticon SIC makes my tank squirm with disgust, "perhaps we can play with them a little before we crush them?"

Starscream moves towards Starhopper; she shrinks back slightly, but bumps into the Vehicon behind her, her frame begins to rattle as she whimpers and shutters her optics. His claw tip is almost touching her cheek plate, I told my siblings to be calm no matter what and in this single klik they are following my orders, all things considered I can't help but feel a faint swell of pride in my spark.

Then, as usual, Solarflare snaps.

With a feral snarl she spins around and grabs the barrel of the gun that the Vehicon behind her is holding. She jerks it back so it hits his forehelm, denting the plating and offlining him. He stumbles back and crashes to the ground, taking two of his comrades with him. The second eldest of us flattens her servos and they curve, transforming into cannons, then they unfold to form two halves of a bigger cannon. My SIC brings them together with a loud click and points her weapon at Starscream, he immediately raises a missile arm at her but keeps the claws of his other servo hovering over Starhopper's cheek. It all happens in the timespan of one and a half nanokliks.

"Don't you dare touch her you snivelling piece of slag, or I'll blow you a new valve!" Solarflare hisses, engines roaring and wings twitching.

The front half of my pedes split in half and fold back to cover my heels, the back landing wheels of my alt form, which act as skates. I twirl around as my servos morph into cannons like my sister's, but I keep them separate and place myself between the two SIC, one cannon pointing at each.

"Lower your weapon sister," I order, my optics staring right into her's.

"Not until this _slag helm_ lowers his toy," the red and yellow flamed Seeker growls, pealing back her lips to bare her denta in a challenging snarl.

I turn my helm in a lazy way, giving the Seeker mech an expression that says I-don't-have-fragging-time-for-this-scrap, "Down."

"You first," Starscream snaps, but he does take his servo away from my black and white spotted sister.

So, now I'm stuck, with several Vehicons pointing guns at me as a bonus. I end up turning on my tactician coding, it tells me that the only logical thing to do is to turn to the highest command here. Gah, it's still thinking like an Autobot tactician! It means Ultra Magnus, but the holder of the highest rank here is Megatron. Growling in annoyance I look up at the ex-gladiator.

"My Lord, I think it would be wise to put the leash back on your pet," I state with the calmest tone possible, desperately trying to keep the sharpness out of my vocaliser, "because as you can see, I am in no position to pin down my SIC, but you are for yours."

"'My Lord'?" Megatron growls and narrows his optics, he's got the same I-don't-give-a-frag look that I have, "what makes you think I won't kill you just because you have an alluring frame and you try to appease me?"

Because of the position Solarflare has placed me in and the Con's unhelpful manner, I have only one option left now. I change my cannons back to servos and pull out the daggers beneath each of my hip plates, then throw them down at the pedes of Megatron. Reaching back above my waist to where the hilts of my two swords are slotted on top of my wings, I release the blades and grab them as they slip away from the cupels, they land with a clatter before his pedes. I bend down and uncouple the small guns from my ankles then add them to the little pile. Finally I sink to my knees, bending forward so that my elbows and wrists touch the cold floor, to top it off I lower my wings and audials as far as I can.

I may have been raised by grounders, but if there's one thing I know about my Sire's kind, then it's that when a Seeker does this it means complete and total surrender.

Screamer laughs, he clicks and chirps to me in Seeker language with a harsh tone, \How pathetic, this is the leader of the Seeker squadron that protected the great and glorious city, Praxus? The legendary Moonbeam, who struck down countless battalions of Decepticon warriors, with one servo tied to both wings? No wonder your home was destroyed! You're really nothing but a frightened, little sparkling!\

"Starscream!" the Decepticon leader snarls as he gets up and folds his arms behind his back, the same bored look still on his face plates, but there's an annoyed glint in his optics, "How many times have I told you, I don't understand a single word of that infernal clicking or that annoying chirping! Stupid glitch."

As he approaches me I bow my helm till my brow touches the back of my crossed servos, "We surrender my Lord," I force my vocaliser to not betray me and show the longi-... _fear_ that my optics do, "please let us, the only Seeker squadron that the Autobots had, join your great Decepticon cause."

A thick claw is placed beneath my chin, it lifts my helm and I find myself staring right into the red optics of the dark lord, who is now kneeling before me. Having him kneel on one knee in front of me should demean him, but seeing the warlord this close makes him even larger and more intimidating than before. I can feel his vents forcing the hot air out of his frame, only to suck new air right back in. The ex-gladiator's sharp denta grind together in a threatening, twisted smirk and his cold gaze seems to burn into my processor. Yet I bury my...fear deep down with my grief and match his glare.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" He growls, optics narrowing in suspicion.

~You're up Starhopper~ I whisper to my youngest sister through our sibling Bond, ~I know you can do it~

~I'll try my best~ her frame shakes as she steps to the side, out of Starscream's reach, and musters the courage to look right at the most fearsome mech to ever walk on the surface of Cybertron, "P-please, sir."

He growls, helm snapping up to stare at her, "What?"

She flinches, whimpering as she looks down and continues, "When Praxus fell we saved all we could, entire families, the Priests of Primus, the senators and anyone else we could. But...they left us...we got one thanks and after that they turned their backs on...on us," the youngest of us begins to sob and covers her mouth with a servo as her helm shakes from side to side, unable to continue.

Red Giant puts an arm around Starhopper and she allows herself to be engulfed by her larger, crimson sibling. Red lets out a weary sigh, "Permission to speak Commander."

I raise an optic ridge at Megatron, who frowns, but eventually nods for me to give the order, "You may speak brother."

Red's engines rev faintly with anger, the only emotion that he finds difficulty in repressing, "We saved their sparks, but they did not let us go with them, saying it was our fault their homes were destroyed and that because we are Seekers we cannot be trusted. However, not one of them lifted a single digit to help us fight. That was when we realised, the bots we had willingly laid down our lives for did not care about us, they only saw us as processor-less Drones. We seek a home, but not an Autobot one, for we have forsaken them as they did us."

"Pl-please," Starhopper sobs, keeping her face pressed against her brother's chassis as she quivers, "we just want a roof over our helms, a berth to recharge in and a place for our sparks to call home."

I see the faces of many Decepticons, both high and low rank, soften. Even their leader's face relaxes slightly as he stands up. No one can resist my little sister's sweet, innocent vocaliser. Not even the ex-gladiator.

"But what can you offer me?" He mutters with a smirk as he regains his stern posture.

~I know, I know~ Nebula sighs before I can even seek out her Bond connection ~Now that he's all soft 'n' fluffed up it's my turn~

She stalks forward, hips swaying out of habit, EM field leaking with assertiveness. The spy stands there, hip jutted out with a servo draped lazily on it and her wings lowered halfway. All optics fall on her and already I can hear a few fans clicking onto their lowest setting.

"Oh dearie me sweetspark, are you sealed by any chance?" my sister hums, returning the smirk and adding a raised optic ridge to the questioning, yet sexy look.

If there's one thing Nebula can do, it's tease any femme or mech till they're on their knees begging.

Megatron gives a low growl of warning, "And what makes you think _that!?_ "

The second youngest of us giggles with astounding confidence, her smooth, slick vocaliser turning what should be a sweet sound into an I-accept-your-challenge-to-play- _my-game_ gesture, "Well, it's just that you're asking six sexy, slim Seekers what they could possibly offer you. Do you really need to ask...Master?"

As the last word slowly rolls off her glossa she turns so her left side faces the Decepticon leader and everyone else can see the same thing from the other side, but she keeps her alluring gaze on the huge mech. She raises her wings as high as she can, lifts one pede so that her toes are touching the ground and stretches her arms to link her servos above her helm as if they're bound. Her magenta frame gleams in the soft light.

All in one swift, graceful motion, she'd been practicing it for at least eight orns.

Fans click onto higher settings and whistles erupt from nearly every mech as the teasing Seeker rolls her helm back a bit, her engines give a soft purr as her lips part a little and she lets out a delicate sigh. _Click_. Well, it sounds as if Megatron has also fallen prey to my teasing sibling. As I feel the warm air from his vents heat up slightly I can no longer hold back my smug, one-sided smile.

"What you see before you darling," Nebula brings her arms down, turns to face the warlord as she puts her pedes firmly together, she rolls her hips back and blows the head Decepticon a kiss as she winks, bending forward to show off her curved aft to the others behind her, "Is six sealed Seekers wishing to...no," she whispers and prowls forward to stand beside where I kneel, Nebula trails a claw across the plating where Megatron's spark lies, then sighs breathlessly as she cocks her hips to one side, " _begging_ to join your army."

About two dozen vocalisers howl at her words as well as her highly brave action, many engines give heated roars, at least nine mechs leave the room looking very flustered and in desperate need of some private time. I notice, with a considerably large amount of amusement, that among the nine mechs is Starscream.

~Best show yet sister~ I laugh through the Bond but struggle keep my expression straight.

~Not quite done Moon, you know how much mechs love their toys of destruction, especially gladiators. I've gotta sell our weapons too~ Nebula chuckles back.

"Oh, and for fighting," she walks back three steps and mentions to my weapon pile with a delicate sweep of a servo, "we all have these, they're standard issue for us. We all have the servo-cannons too, but Moonbeam and Solarflare's have an extra kick in them, they get that from soaking up moon and sunlight respectively. Red Giant is a bomb specialist and White Dwarf can hack any system in under a nanoklik. I can change my colour to blend with my surroundings, and Starhopper can teleport herself short distances. We all have the highest tactician programming along with medium saboteur capabilities and basic training in all martial-arts. So, sweetspark...do we make the cut?"

"...Knock Out, Breakdown," Megatron barks as he finally brings himself out of his trance, a small red grounder and a larger blue one step forward, "Take these fine Seekers to your med bay; run all scans and do a complete check up on them."

"Yes my liege," the smaller mech bows gracefully, then beckons to us with an obviously manicured claw and walks away.

I quickly gather up my weapons and follow my siblings as the tyrant calls out with a slight chuckle, "And don't forget to give them a good buffing!"

~Well done everyone~ I sigh with relief, thinking the hardest part is behind us.

But there's one thing I left out of my calculations. Six Seekers who have never felt the pleasure that can be inflected on their frames during interfacing, or felt their spark tug at the sound of another's vocaliser, have just entered the ranks of large, rough, hungry mechs.

**********

"Hey! Watch where you're putting your servos there medic!" Nebula snarls as Knock Out moves the polisher a little too close to her inner thigh.

"Whoops," he chuckles, "I'm so very sorry about that babe, I slipped."

"Don't _slip_ again or my reflexes just might _accidentally_ kick you where the sun doesn't shine. Do I make myself clear, _babe_?" if looks could kill then the glare that the medic gets from her could killed an army.

"Crystal," the grounder smiles nervously.

"Is this really necessary?" I sigh as Breakdown buffs my arm with the kind of tenderness that one wouldn't expect to receive from a Con his size.

~It isn't~ Solarflare growls, ~we've already had our scans, our weapons have been assessed and we've been checked for every virus known on Cybertron, twice!~

I glance at White Dwarf, his optics wander around the medical bay with a morbid, absentminded expression carved into his faceplates. A sad thought crosses my processor, _Not quite_ every _virus._

"Lord Megatron's orders," the blue titan mutters, he growls and gives his partner a quick glare, "don't worry, I think the only one enjoying this is Knock Out."

"Aww," the red mech smirks and taps Breakdown on the brow with a long claw, "is my big, bad mech jealous of a Seeker?"

The larger Con's single optic widens, "N-no!"

Knock Out's engines purr as he tilts his helm to the side a little and grins deviously, "Oh please Breaky, I can feel your spark shuddering with envy."

"Don't start," his partner growls through clenched denta, "you know I don't like having an audience."

"And yet you still fall for flattery every time," the medic laughs, "even with an audience."

The corner of my mouth twitches as I notice something he doesn't, the servo holding the buffer is straying a little low.

"What did I tell you?!" Nebula screeches as a claw tip brushes against her aft.

"That time I really did slip, I swear to Primus and cross my Spark I slipped," but Knock Out's begging doesn't spare him from a good slap across his face plates, "Watch the finish!"

"Then watch out for mine," my sister hisses, "this paint is what helps me to blend with other colours, it's very expensive, hard to come by, and nearly impossible to make! Alright?!"

"Trade places," Breakdown laughs.

"Gladly," the red Con huffs as his 'partner' gets up and sits on the medical berth in front of Nebula.

"Don't try anything," I mutter as the medic sits where Breakdown was, next to me on the berth, but he seems to think there's a need to brush his hip against mine.

"He wouldn't dare," the larger mech's engine rumbles in warning.

"Come on dearie," Knock Out chuckles, then winks at his 'partner', "let a mech have a little fun."

"If you keep that up there'll be no _fun_ for you tonight," the blue one snorts in annoyance.

"What? Now that's just taking it a little far, you know you'll always be my number one," while the medic sounds full of himself I can't help but notice the slight cringe of his frame, accompanied by nervous look in his optics, then they narrow, "Anyway, it's been an entire vorn since I had _any_ fun!"

"Bonded."

We all jump at both the word and the sound of Red Giant's vocaliser; Breakdown growls, "What'd you say?"

"'Feel your spark', that quote, along with your manner towards each other leads to only one possible conclusion. You are Bonded," dammit Red, how are you able to say the 'B' word as if you were commenting on the weather, like it means nothing!

Solarflare laughs and nearly falls off her seat on the desk, "You must have a few extra nuts in your processor my dear brother, no Con's that suicidal, nor do they have the spark for such a thing!"

Knock Out's engine roars with rage, he slams the polisher down and his servo changes into a circular saw, his left optic twitches slightly, "Watch it glitch! We worked hard to drill it into everyone's processors that we're mated, including our leader. There's one reasons Bonded Cons are rare: and that is that there was once a time where you had to prove yourselves to Megatron."

"Oh, and pray do tell us, how did one _prove_ them self to our leader?" Nebula chuckles, but eyes the saw with a cautious gaze.

"You and your Bonded get sent on several suicidal missions," Breakdown sighs, looking disturbed at the memories that this conversations is most likely stirring, it's probably how he lost his optic, "survive them and you prove to Megatron that even with a bound spark the both of you can still function in the toughest fights."

"And you two brave, strong mech went on these missions?" I press, adding a little flattery to calm the medic down, it works all too well.

"Breaky's the brawn, I'm the brain," Knock Out boasts, puffing out his chassis with pride as he picks up the polisher, "he's strong, I'm fast. I'm good with words and he's not, he can take a hit while I'd prefer not to. I could go on and on about how we complete each other. And just surviving Lord Megatron's tests gives us great respect here, plus, once we completed the missions he didn't bother us any further."

"While it may earn you the respect of others, I think I also speak for all of my siblings when I say: it earns you the title of 'insane' from us," I frown both at the thought of their extremely risky relationship and how close the grounder's servo is to my chassis.

"Why's that?" He mutters, watching where his servos touch, obviously he doesn't want to make the mistake with me that he made with my sister.

"We're at war, if one Bondmate dies, the other always follows from a processor and spark failure from the sudden crushing pain or - if you survive that - self termination from long metacycles of depression," really, when you hear the reasons as to why Bonding is frowned at in these violent times, you can't help but see these two mech as completely insane.

"That's why we did it," Breakdown gives his mate a gentle smile as he finishes Nebula and mentions for White Dwarf to take her place, "Tell them what you told me Knocks."

"No, it's really silly and overly mushy, not the sort of thing a Con would say," Energon forms in faint pools beneath the medic's cheek plates and he gives a little shrug.

"Please tell," Starhopper whispers, blushing a little.

"Oh alright, but only because you're adorable," Knock Out gives her a smile that makes the blush deepen, but she doesn't return the smile, she hasn't since our home burned to the ground, "I...um...well, uh...what I said to Breakdown when I asked him to be my Bondmate is 'I want to..." He mutters something beyond our audio receptor's current setting.

"I don't think they heard you," the blue mech chuckles as he sees our blank faces.

"...'I want to Bond to you here and now, because every morning I come out of recharge worrying you won't be there beside me in our berth that evening. I always fear that this is the orbital your spark goes out and I'll live out my entire life regretting that we never took the last step.'...There, said it!" his white cheeks are a deep blue by now as he tries to avoid all our gazes.

That's when it hits me. While it's true that the ranks of the Decepticon's may consist of the more violent Cybertronians, deep down their sparks are no different to that of an Autobot's. The only difference between the two factions is the Cons are stronger, because the only emotion they show on the battle field is anger, they don't expose their deepest feelings to the enemy.

**********

Knock Out jumps onto a table in the centre of the rec. room and lifts his cube, "A toast! To our stunning new Seekers! May they bring us many victories!" Everyone roars in agreement and downs their drinks.

I really hadn't expected a party in our honour. While we were protecting Praxus, even after all the battles we'd won, we never had a party in our honour. Never even been to one. Primus we've never even been _invited_ to one! Ok I'm exaggerating a bit, because Solarflare and Nebula have been to parties, but only big ones, and it was so there was someone on crowd control. Plus there was always a problem, which is that in times of war there were very few large celebrations for them to keep watch on.

"Something wrong?" Breakdown mutters then takes a sip of his drink.

"I've never been to a party," I sigh, "so your mate's attention is a bit foreign to me," my cheeks flush light blue as said mech raises his cube of High Grade in my direction and smirks in a way that makes me think _I can deactivate a happy femme now._

"Commander," I turn my attention to Red Giant as he approaches the table.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Yet the heavy feeling in my tank tells me that I already know the answer.

"White Dwarf is nearing his limit," my brother's face softens, "and as you already know, he will only listen to you."

"Alright," I get up, not wanting to do this but knowing I have to for the sake of my scarred sibling, and head over to the bar on the other side of the room.

My spark twinges at the sight of Dwarf. His frame shakes, shoulders hunched, lips pursed, pedes pressed against the pole of the barstool he's seated on and optics staring blankly at the last of his drink. He was once the liveliest of us all, but what he saw when Praxus fell, it corrupted and twisted his processor. No more dry puns, no more hacking...well, not the computer kind anyway. He's become sadistic, cruel, showing zero mercy in battles that he shrieks with laughter at.

When we tried to seek refuge in an Autobot outpost, they saw our frames before they saw our insignias, and fired at us. That's when we discovered that fighting is his trigger, so long as it's someone else who starts it and not him. He can't physically or verbally start a fight, if there's a fight happening right in front of him he'll just stare at it. White Dwarf deactivated, then tore apart twenty-five Autobots, and nearly made me number twenty-six. It was only Red Giant's strength that kept him at bay while we got a pair of stasis cuffs to keep him from harming anyone else, or himself.

"Dwarf," I whisper, placing a tentative servo on his hunched shoulder.

He flinches and spins around with a gasp, "Moon, d-...\don't do\ that."

His madness affects his speech too, it constantly alters between Seeker and normal Cybertronian. There's also no emotion in his vocaliser, it's just a dull sound that forms words.

"You've had enough brother," I give him a tender smile in an attempt to mask the sad one that's itching to infect my lips, "time to go recharge."

"Y-...\yes\, very well," he gives a heavy sigh and drains the last of his High Grade.

I help him stand and he allows himself to be half dragged towards the exit, leaning his frame heavily on mine with an arm around my shoulders, the servo at the end of it gripping mine as I put my other arm around his waist to keep him up. His optics are slightly dim as he stares at the floor, not because he's in half recharge, on the contrary the ex-hacker is wide awake. They're dim from his processor drowning in memories that wish to be forgotten.

"Here, let me help," Knock Out walks on White Dwarf's other side and puts his limp arm around his shoulders.

"Thanks, I actually don't know where our quarters are though."

"I do," he perks up, of course he's perky, because he's downed a couple of High Grades and has no idea that he's holding a mentally unstable Seeker, "Lord Megatron said you and your siblings are in my care until you can function with us properly."

"Oh really? And I suppose it's because of your charms?" I mutter, making my tone as sarcastic as I can.

"Well obviously," he sounds sincere...unbelievable, this mech can dish out sarcasm left and right, but fails to see when it's being used on him...or he's just taking the compliment and not caring for the tone.

"Burning...\burning...burning\\...burning," I glance at my brother, he's swaying a little in our grasp, helm limp and optics distant, yet the ghost of that ghastly, sadistic smile is beginning to form on his lips.

"Quarters, now," I snap at the medic.

"Please," Knock Out rolls his optics, "I've heard Blitzwing's Random personality say and sing worse," yet he still gives a nervous chuckle.

"He'll _do_ worse if he doesn't get some rest," I growl, worry flickering in my spark.

Just as Knock Out begins to punch in the code for my brother's room, he starts _it_.

"~Hehe...hehe burn-...-ing...spark-...-lings. \Where are you now?\~

His haunting song chills me to the core, the medic's optics widen in horror as I gently lay him down on the berth.

"Wait...he's got screws loose?" he mutters, I can hear his frame quiver with fear, "He should've been deactivated and put out of his misery long ago."

"No," I snap, kneeling down beside the shaking form of my brother, I slowly stroke his cheek, "Shh Dwarf, hush now."

"B-\burning?\ His question comes out as a chirped snigger.

"No, no burning here, no one's hurt," I whisper.

The troubled mech's optics close halfway and he lets out a shuddered sigh, "S-safe?"

I place a soft kiss on his forehelm and whisper in his audial, "Yes, we're among friends here, we're safe, this is our home now."

The ex-hacker continues to snigger and I continue to murmur soft, comforting words accompanied by light kisses on his helm. After a breem and a half White Dwarf eventually falls into a shaking, light recharge with a twitching smile on his lips. Over the past three vorns, since the orbital Praxus was destroyed, I've learned that this is as calm as he'll ever be with the demons of that terrible orbital haunting his processor. He gives a soft whine and I cup his cheek, rubbing it with my thumb.

"Rest now, White Dwarf," I sigh, getting up and turning towards the door I notice that the cherry red grounder is still there, "are there any datapads close by?"

He doesn't make a noise as he keeps his gaze fixed on the recharging, restless Seeker and points to a draw at the end of the berth.

I open it and see a stack of six datapads in there, I take one out and hand it to the quivering mech, "Put the code to his room on here and I'll leave it on his bedside desk."

"Good call," he's so quiet that I can barely hear him.

"You're missing out on the party," I mutter in an attempt to take my thoughts off Dwarf, "you could've gone back while I calmed my brother."

Knock Out chuckles as we exit the room, "What, and let you go back on your own? Not every Con goes to the parties sweetspark, you'll get jumped."

"Hehe...hehe...maybe," I laugh, feeling very weary, with a sigh I press my back against the wall opposite to White Dwarf's room and let my knees slowly surrender to the weight on my shoulders that's pulling me down.

My wings scrap lightly against the wall as I slide down and sit with my knees pulled up as close to my chassis as possible. I wrap my arms around my bent legs and lower my helm onto my knees, trying to control the shaking of my frame. No. Don't cry. Not when there's someone here. Only while I'm in the company of loneliness will I shed my tears.

"Care for an audial to cry to?" the Con seats himself down beside me and gives me a sad, questioning look.

"No, but I wouldn't mind a shoulder to lean on," I mutter, but I don't, I wait for his consent.

"Go ahead," Knock Out gestures to his shoulder with a servo, he offers me a faint smile, "but mind the finish of course."

"Of course," I return the smile and lean the side of my helm on the smooth surface, then I shutter my optics as I get to work on repressing my feelings.

"So what's with White Dwarf?" for a medic he really isn't that helpful.

"Corruption in his memory file, I have a slight idea of what happened, but he never talks about it," I mutter, rubbing my cheek against Knock Out's shoulder, seeking what little comfort I can from the gesture, "None of us do."

"Praxus?" It's both a question and a statement.

"Yes, it happened that orbital. There was fire, so much fire, he got caught in one and I found him screaming, but he was offline. He was screaming in his sleep," I start to shake, don't cry, "he used to be so alive, he'd speak so fast that there were times we'd have trouble understanding him, he jumped about with such an abundance of life, he opened his Spark to all and listened to the woes of everyone. It's the Autobot's fault this happened, he could've been saved from this insanity if they hadn't been so selfish," I growl, clenching my servos into fists.

"What about your other siblings?" If this is an attempt to change the subject ever so slightly then it's a pretty crummy one, "How are they?"

I whimper and shake my helm, not wanting to let it out.

"It's ok," he smiles again, "I won't tell."

The soft, tired look, the look I've seen in my reflection for the past three vorns. The medic's expression moves me to breaking point.

"They don't fare well either, White Dwarf just shows it the most because he can't control it," I stare at my pedes, "Solarflare was never so angry, her protective and clingy ways towards the rest of us were never so strong. She was the more free spirited one, preferring her own company, never chained by anyone and her only true master was the sky. Starhopper wasn't so jittery, she was still shy but also oddly curious, so very curious. She was sweet, polite and moderately sociable. Red Giant's change is difficult to see, but he used to show his emotions freely, yet never failed to follow an order. He still obeys, yet it seems as if with every sunrise he loses a little more of the coding that allows us to feel. And Nebula, she's so head strong that I find it almost impossible to notice the impact that our home's destruction had on her. Yet I see it sometimes, especially when...I remember she no longer smiles from happiness."

There's a long silence between the two of us, that is, until Knock Out breaks it.

"...And you?"

My servos grasp at the medic's arm and my vocaliser can only form a staticky gasp. No. No tears. I can't. With a soft sob I bury my face against his armour as several drops of coolant escape my control and fall down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to cross any lines," Knock Out stutters.

"N-no it's...it's just," I sniff and wipe my cheeks, "No one's asked me that yet."

Crimson arms wrap themselves around me and I dare to look at the face that I know is showing the pity I don't need. But to my surprise that's not what I get. It's a faint smile, a sad, knowing smile that meets my optics.

"What?" I scowl at him, detaching myself from his grasp and turning away to hide my tears.

"Everyone's lost something because of this war," he mutters. 

**********

Rumble leaps onto the stage along with Ravage, the little Con stands on the feline's back in order to reach the mic, which is as far down as it can go, "Yo, everyone, listen up!"

We all turn to look at the earthquake maker, Soundwave stops the music and the chatter in the room slowly dies down.

"It's been a vorn an' a half since the last time this happened, so I wan' every damn Con to see this!" he jabs a digit at a table where Thundercracker is seated, opposite him is...Solarflare?! Oh Primus, not this! "Thunder's got a challenger!"

Vocalisers roar in excitement as everyone rushes to get a good view of the table.

"How much High Grade does it take to get her overcharged?" Knock Out mutters, eying the corridor that'll eventually lead to the medical bay.

"When she soaks up sunlight for her servo cannons it goes through a reactor that takes certain chemicals and turns them into more stable energy particles so that they can be stored safely, High Grade happens to contain one of those very chemicals. This means that so long as she doesn't guzzle her drink, so her reactor can keep up with the processing, she won't even get tipsy," I give him a dastardly grin, "Thundercracker doesn't stand a fragging chance."

"I'll get the strong stuff!" The medic calls out, there's another cheer as he transforms, his engine roars as he races to the med bay.

"He's got his own recipe," Breakdown chuckles, "it's so strong that one drop makes even the most resistant Cybertronian tipsy."

I get up and try to push through the crowd, but they shove me back, I even try being polite and saying "please". Then I remember that Con's are famous for their lack of manners. I hiss and take a more violent approach by diving forward again, trying to get to my sister, yet all in vain.

"Let Moonbeam through!" They all nearly jump out of their plating as Megatron strides up, his height giving him a perfect view even from the back, he bares his denta in a challenging snarl, "Or do I have to shorten you all by pulling off your legs?"

The crowd parts to make a perfect path to the front for me, I give them all the smuggest smile on this side of the Universe.

"My dear," the ex-gladiator gives me a charming smile, mentioning to the path with a servo.

With a bow of my helm I smile; "Thank you my liege," I just can't keep the smug look off my lips as I take my place at the front of the crowd.

Rumble leaps off of Ravage's back, he climbs onto the table, Frenzy jumps up beside his brother and helps him get the crowd riled up again; "Let's ge' it on!"

Sixteen cubes, filled to the brim with High Grade, are placed in front of the two Seekers so that they have eight each. Thundercracker sits on the edge of his seat, arms crossed on the table, legs parted lazily and a sneer spread across his lips. Solarflare sits sideways, her left hip pressed against the back of her chair, one arm leaning on the table, the other draped across the back of the seat and left leg crossed over the other.

"You're going down my sweet," the mech sniggers, "Remember the stakes?"

"It's a bet!" Frenzy shrieks with excitement and everyone falls silent, waiting to hear the conditions.

"If you lose, you have to take my shifts for monitor duty, Energon storage sorting and patrol for four metacycles," my SIC grins and laughs, all of those are the most boring, yet necessary jobs on a war ship.

The soldiers cheer and I look back just in time to catch Megatron chuckling.

"And what did you promise him?" The tyrant laughs, "Because whatever it is you might as well as skip the defeat and get on with it."

Everyone, but my siblings and I, laughs with him. We just chuckle darkly, we know what the outcome of this is gonna be. She always bets with the same thing, just so that the defeat is all the more crushing.

Solarflare gives him a cocky grin, "My seal, my first time."

The very ship seems to shake from the roaring vocalisers. "Thunder's gonna get some!" "Tell us if she shines like a Sun when she overloads!" "Spike her hard Cracker!" "Be sure to check the room for one of Soundwave's spy cameras!" Slowly the noise dies down as they all realise that my siblings and I are shrieking with laughter at their words, Solarflare nearly falls off her seat.

"You're gonna be so exhausted at the end of the forth metacycle!" She laughs, then coughs as her intakes struggle for air.

"Oh dear, they're gonna be so embarrassed!" Starhopper giggles.

"Don't get too worked up Cracker!" Nebula wheezes through her shrieks, "Your spike ain't gonna get any tonight!"

"Make them all eat their words, Solarflare!" I make an uppercut motion with my fist in her direction and she just laughs even more.

Thundercracker looks very nervous now, he takes the first cube and downs it.

"Sip slowly Solar," I chuckle, "let your reactor take in all the alcoholic chemicals."

"What!?" The mech roars, his jaw drops and his optics looks like they're just about to leap out of his helm, "That's cheating!"

"Not if it's a natural part of my frame, I was born with this," She grins, "I told you sweetspark, don't challenge something you can't beat!" My sister takes a cube and sips its contents.

"Coward," he snarls and downs another.

"What'd I miss?" Knock Out pants as he returns holding a covered cube of gold liquid.

"Good, we're gonna need that," Starscream growls and nods at the cube.

"Why?" the medic raises an optic ridge and frowns, "And answer my other slagging question while you're at it!"

"I put half my next orns worth of rations on the line, in Thundercracker's favour...he's gonna lose," really Screamer? No matter what you do my sister's gonna win.

I turn back and see that Thundercracker has finished all eight High Grades and my sister is on the sixth one...this can only end in beautiful chaos.

**********

"Star's go' a crush! Star's go' a crush!" Solar slurs as she nearly topples over, threatening to bring Nebula down with her.

"Do not!" My youngest sibling shrieks as she blushes, her wings fluttering in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.

"Three faces, three glossas to try. Care for me to test them for you~" Nebula chuckles teasingly as she licks her lips and pulls Solarflare back up.

"No!" Star slaps the spy's free arm and growls.

"Star's go' a crush!"

"I don't Solarflare!"

Megatron sighs as he enters the code to my SIC's room, "How do you stand it?"

"How do you command an entire army?" I retaliate, my tone dull due to younger-sibling-induced-annoyance and a throbbing ache that's probably a gift from the fifth High Grade I drank.

"Point taken," he mutters as the door opens.

"Blitzwing! Does the 'Blitz' mean anything in particular," Nebula sniggers as she dumps Solar on the berth unceremoniously, "you may be looking at a real short interface session there little sister."

"Please stop Nebula," the teleporter groans.

"Ow! Helm ache," my SIC whines.

I smile, so begins the tradition my siblings and I have gone through with long before this war even began.

"Get a good rest sister, it'll be better when you online," I whisper, placing a soft kiss on her forehelm, "good recharge Solar."

"Hmm, you too," she mutters, already getting very comfortable, I do what I did with White Dwarf and leave a datapad with her room code on her desk.

We reach Red Giant's room and he bows deeply to the ex-gladiator, "Night my Lord," he then turns to me and I stand on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, he smiles wearily, "Good recharge Commander."

"Good recharge brother."

"Night sis," Nebula just waves and strides into her room after I give her a quick peck on the cheek, she turns back to smirk at Megatron as she winks, "Pleasant recharge Master~"

I roll my optics as his digits twitch and he manages to nod before the door closes.

Star skips merrily into her new room after I give her a kiss, "And it's not a crush Moon!"

"Whatever you say young one," I chuckle.

I find myself alone with Lord Megatron, he escorts me in silence to my room and gives me the code.

Standing in the doorway and staring at my new room I try to think of something to say, finally I make up my processor, "Thank you, my Lord."

"For?"

"For...for taking us in, we must seem unstable to you," I sigh and lower my helm, unable to find the courage to turn and see the unwanted sympathy in his optics.

"Knock Out told me everything," he mutters as his pedes shift a little.

"Of course," I huff with annoyance, "he should report such things back to his superior..."

Silence falls, but I don't move. They're watching, I can't tell him till morning.

"Moonbeam, look at me," a large servo rests on my shoulder.

"Yes, sir?" I turn, ah, and there lies the sympathetic gaze.

I shiver as his digits gently ghost down my arm, his expression softens as he takes my wrist in a tender hold and slowly lifts it, bowing slightly. He places a soft kiss on the back of my servo.

"Pleasant recharge, Moonbeam," the Decepticon leader whispers, then lets go and leaves.

As the door closes behind me I feel my Spark ache. No. I clench a fist over my spark chamber. It's only a fantasy. A dream that will always be just that. Yet the idea of being the Decepticon Queen, Bonded of Lord Megatron, mate to the Terror of Kaon...to say it's enticing would be an understatement.

Shaking my helm in an attempt to clear it, I sit on the edge of the berth and comm Ultra Magnus to give him my report. After a short conversation with my leader he finally decides what to do.

::I shall permanently sever the connections then, just incase they do a comm scan later:: Ultra Magnus explains ::Good luck and may Primus bring you all back to me, my sweet, precious sparklings::

::I hope so Carrier:: I say, ::May Primus be with you::

_Click_

I sigh as the link is finally severed. My processor...it feels so clear.

With a smirk I lie down on my new berth, crossing my bent legs and slipping a servo under my helm, ::Sisters and brothers:: I comm them all at once, ::is the link gone?::

::Woke me:: Dwarf mutters his affirmation before falling back into his light recharge,

::It is gone Commander:: that's a check on my TIC,

::Ah, freedom at last:: then on Nebula,

::So clear:: Starhopper too,

::Took fragging long enough:: and finally Solarflare.

::Then I propose toast, my dear siblings:: I lift an imaginary cube and give a smile that would make Unicron proud, ::to the Decepticon cause; may it bring us the revenge that we deserve, the titles that we have fought to claim for vorns and the power that is rightfully ours::

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment or Kudos, I worked on this chapter for four months to perfect it and I _still_ haven't convinced myself that I did a good job.


	2. Method In His Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ****
> 
>  
> 
> **Twisted, joyful, evil, killer**  
>  **You say that's what I am**  
>  **And yet I know not the meaning of it**  
>  **You see me as insane but you're wrong**  
>  **For I see what you don't: Reality. The truth.**  
> 

~Moonbeam's POV~

I stalk down the halls of the ship with more confidence than the previous orbital, Vehicon's stare at my pedes as they move with true purpose. My disgustingly blue optics hidden behind my red visor, which I pulled out of subspace this morning where it was since my hexad decided to join the Decepticons. It'll just have to do till I can get red optics. Although I must say, I'm getting a little attached to it already, like Nebula said about her's: 'Even though it's just a novelty as well as a temporary cover for us, it has a certain, unexplainable flare and charm to it'. Free. Oh Primus, I feel so free. No grounded Autobots to hold me back, no mud-kissing underlings to keep my wings clipped, no gravity biding Commander to pull me from the sky.

The doors to the command deck open and I stride forward, blocking all comm links and temporarily closing the Bond with my siblings. This is a meeting that simply cannot be interrupted. Megatron turns at the sound of the door closing and my Spark quivers at the sight if those crimson optics fixed on me alone. The fear I showed last orbital had been a charade, an attempt at hiding the desire in my EM field. Only now do I allow myself the pleasure of admiring his broad, strong, battle-scarred frame. I may never have the honour of touching the frame, but that won't stop me from looking. My sisters will always shake their helms at my infatuation towards the warlord, but all of them, even Starhopper, have admitted to me that his frame has its fair share of pleasing kibble.

"Moonbeam, it's good to see that you're finally up," I force the energon to not pool beneath my cheeks as he flashes me a sharp smirk.

"Sir," I manage to keep the sigh out of my vocaliser, then bow my helm in respect, knowing all too well that the way I form my sentences for this conversation is crucial, "I have something important to tell you, certain complications meant I couldn't tell you last night, I'm sure you'll like it though."

"It's not wise to make assumptions on what I do and don't like, especially when it's only your first orbital here," his smooth vocaliser and light smirk from before are gone, shifting into a soft growl of warning accompanied by a frown of distain, "but I'll let it slide."

"Apologies my Lord," I bow with my whole frame this time, dragging my left pede behind my right and placing my right servo on my chassis as I bend forward, "I'm used to speaking with my previous Commander, who, with much regret as well as disgust from all my siblings and I, was first my Carrier." Ah, that sounded much better.

He frowns as half the crew on the bridge stops their work and stares at me, "I...was already well aware that your Carrier is Ultra Mag-"

"I. Said. _Was!_ " I snap suddenly, my servos fly up to cover my mouth, "My liege, I...I didn't mean to..." Clasping my servos together I bring them down over my waist and look at the floor, "p-please forgive my outburst...I...the subject of who our Creators are has always been a very...delicate matter among my hexadmates and I."

"You don't like him?" Megatron mutters, his vocaliser soft once more.

"I despise him in every way, no Carrier leaves their sparkling to protect an entire city with only three dozen soldiers to help. He's half the reason this war began, he's a weak leader and a poor Creator. If he were melting in the smelting pits of Kaon I'd stoke the fires, if his spark were bared I'd be the first to shoot it!" my servos clench into fists and they shake as rage boils in my barely controlled EM field.

"So, it wouldn't do me any good to use you and your siblings as collateral?" the ex-gladiator frowns again.

This doesn't surprise me, the caring way he treated us last orbital had confirmed my suspicions that he'd use us as bargaining chips, and by treating us well he'd ensure that we'd stay close. But I have something far better to offer, something that'll deal such a blow to the Bots that they'll take several decilivorns to recover, "You could, he still cares about us," I can't help but pause for effect and give him a devilish smile, "but in the long run my plan has far more devastating effects, and you won't even have to touch a single one of the Autobots for it to work."

"...I'm listening, why don't I have to touch a single one?" He raises an optic ridge and waits for an answer.

"Emotions," I hiss, "Cons hide them, they only show their true selves in the safety of their ships. The Bots are weak, they can't hide their emotions on the battlefield like you all do," now for the really good bit, "As I said before, my...Carrier still cares about us. We told him that we'd pretend to join your army, and after a kilovorn he'll rendezvous with us a hister to the west of the ruins of Vos. When we get there, we'll give him the multitudes of information that we would've collected by then. If we don't meet him within the set orn then he'll storm the Nemesis with a Special Ops force as well as the entire Wreckers team, since the only obvious reason for our absence would be that you've caught onto our 'plan' and will be holding us in the brig."

"And how does he intend to get you out?" He gives a cocky smirk, thinking that what I have to offer is of no use, he's too used to Starscream and his trine.

I straighten to my full height, clasp my servos behind my back and flare my wings in a display of well earned pride, "The plan will be to get in by flying close to the hull with a stealth troop-carrying ship, then blow a hole in the Nemesis at the most appropriate time, most likely during the night-cycle. The Wreckers will then clear a path for the Special Ops to get to the brig and we'll get out. Simple, too much room for error and they don't know the ship like its own crew knows it, it'll be too easy to set multiple traps for them. Remember my Lord, Ultra Magnus is the Autobot's Second in Command, our enemy's strongest team is the Wreckers and the head of the Special Ops always goes on big assignments. The head of Special Ops is also the Autobot's Third in Command, Jazz. You'll have all three of the biggest threats servo delivered to your front doorstep on a golden platter with a third of the Special Operations as a bonus."

There's complete silence on the command deck, all the Vehicons stare at me in awe and Soundwave shows no sign of emotion as usual, other than a slight tilt of his helm as he looks up at his Master. Even the loyal Third in Command questions my plan?! But Megatron looks at me with an expression of shock, then a smile slowly spreads across his pointed denta, it's one of absolute pride and unabashed delight.

"Decepticons!" He calls out to all the mechs on the bridge, never losing his smile as he speaks, "Behold, a Seeker femme with a sharp processor, a thirst for deception and a reputation for being a fierce warrior, more so than half our entire army! Moonbeam, you wouldn't happen to be after my spark?"

"Sir...I-I..." a soft wave of chuckling ripples through the room and energon flushes beneath my cheek plates, I look down at my pedes as my wings snap up into a 'V' shape from the sudden rush of embarrassment, "y-your flattery is too much, I-I'm merely contributing to your cause."

"And you contribute spectacularly my dear," he steps forward and places a claw under my chin to lift my helm, "shall we discuss this further in my quarters?"

I almost lose myself staring into those glowing, red optics, and gazing at the scarred face plates that show nothing short of complete pride. A little vocaliser in the back of my processor mutters _you left nothing out, there's no more points left to go over and...oh!_ Is he asking me to...no, just a fantasy. Don't get your hopes up, don't look for things that aren't there and jump at them when you think you see them.

"If you wish my Lord," the purr of desire that threatens to betray my wandering thoughts and racing spark is dragged, screaming, out of my vocaliser.

"Moonbeam!" Frag it all Nebula! You have the worst timing!

The doors open and my sister stumbles into the room. She leans heavily against a console, her chassis rattling as her intakes struggle to circulate some air through her frame. She's been running. She only runs when it's a life or death situation.

"Nebula!" I rush forward and grab her shoulders, pulling her upright, "What happened?!"

"Starscream," she rasps, optics more focused and wild than they've ever been, "Wanted to spar. Said no. Got really pissed. Because I "disobeyed". Went to punch me. Ducked and he...he hit White Dwarf."

"...What?" No...no not now, not now!

The spy manages to catch some of her breath, "White Dwarf is trashing the Arena! His rabid coding activated and he's gonna bring this ship down if the Vehicons there can't keep him contained!"

I spin around and glare at Megatron, I don't give a frag for ranking right now, because when Dwarf snaps, he doesn't stop, "Do you have any stasis cuffs in this room?"

"No, what's go-"

"No time, get someone to bring a pair to the Arena before your ship goes up in flames! I've gotta go keep my brother from killing us all! Nebula, as soon as you've caught your breath, get your aft to the Arena," with that I rush out the door.

My pedes pound against the floor. I veer around a corner and my processor calculates how long it'll take to get to the Arena by running. Too slow, too long! Still in mid-stride, the front half of my pedes snap back and my speed triples as I skate to my destination.

I reopen my comm to contact Solarflare, Red Giant and Starhopper, ::Emergency: White Dwarf is rampant in the Arena. Vehicons are containing him till we get there, ordering immediate back up. Repeat: White Dwarf is active, ordering _immediate_ assistance in the Arena!::

I skid to a stop outside the training room, then reach back and grab a sword as my other servo morphs into a cannon. Now I'm ready for warning shots and blocking. I swerve into the massive, circular room, looking up in awe at the dozens of rows that contain at least a hundred seats each. A memory file from long ago is triggered in my processor: _cheering crowds, clashing frames, triumphant roars and screeching agony._ This room's design mirrors the gladiator arenas in Kaon. Megatron did design the ship, perhaps this sector is a reminder of who he once was just as much as it is a place for his warriors to train in.

Shaking my wandering thoughts away, I instead concentrate on the current state of the room. Claw marks cover the walls, at least a dozen Vehicon frames lay scattered about, literally scattered. An arm there, a pede there, a dented wing in the stands with a wheel lying beside it, a crushed helm stuck on the end of one of the many spikes that line top of the wall that surrounds the pit and are pointing at the arena floor. That's just to name a very small few.

"~Scream Screamy, scream for White Dwarf~" the familiar, haunting singing meets my audio receptors.

There, I see him. He's cornering Starscream! To say the Air Commander looks worse for wear would be smothering the reality of the state of his frame in energon sweets. Wings ripped as well as severely bent in multiple directions, cuts litter his frame, his left leg covered in both dry and fresh energon is dragging on the ground as he limps back to the wall, optics wide and filled with fear.

"Dwarf!" I bellow, slamming the flat part of my sword's blade against my servo cannon, "White Dwarf! Here! Challenge! A challenge!"

He's like a hunter in this state of processor, a hunter that loves the thrill of a challenging quarry. His whole frame jerks around, abandoning the weaker prey and getting down on all fours, then begins to slowly stalk up to me like a Pneuma-Lion hunting a Static-Zebra.

"~Moony, Moony, Moony~" he coos in a deep, rough whisper.

The rabid coding activated when he got trapped in a fire during the fall of Praxus, he saw something that threw his sanity over the edge of a cliff and shattered it into a thousand pieces when it hit the ground. The first being the code saw was me as I dragged his laughing, twitching, offline frame out of the flames. Which apparently makes me target number one.

"That's it, I'm right here, come on," I back up slowly, my optics dart away from him for just a moment to see two brave Vehicons rush in to help Starscream out, and hopefully to the medical bay, while Dwarf is distracted.

I also notice Red Giant and Solarflare silently gliding in with their skates activated. They see my pleading optics and I look behind the white Seeker, flicking my gaze from left to right. My SIC and TIC nod in understanding, then position themselves behind the deranged mech whose optics are still fixed on me. Starhopper arrives, she quickly assesses the situation and sees our positions. Red and Solar move to the left so that Star can take up the gap. Nebula soon follows, they all move again and she takes the new space. We've all get the same weapons out and now, he's surrounded.

Suddenly, my back hits the wall, everyone reacts as one.

"Dwarf! Lookie, a pretty finish to scratch!" Nebula stamps a pede and sways her turquoise hips for emphasis.

"No! Fight me brother! My larger frame is sure to provide a challenge for you!" Red Giant roars, hitting his servo cannon with the flat of his sword full force.

"Come on! You want an easy fight? I'm right here!" Starhopper waves her arms about, trying to look as unprofessional as possible.

"You want stamina! A chase! A prey with a fiery bite! Come and get it!" Solarflare shrieks and bares her denta.

An exciting fight, an easy kill, the challenge of a large quarry, the opportunity to destroy a beloved finish, or the prey that he wants to deactivate more than any other. All tempting, all guaranteed to provide a large amount of entertainment in comparison to the Vehicons around us that were so easily ripped to shreds. His corrupt tactician coding works overtime to figure out who to attack first. Take out the larger threat or the most desired one? And does the larger threat mean the bigger frame, or the most skilled? Does the desired prey mean the one he wants to destroy the most, or the one that'll have a more entertaining reaction?

We further confuse our brother by circling him, skating slowly as we hit our cannons with the flat part of our blades, calling out prosperous opportunities to him. The added information delays his scrambled processor's calculations. He stumbles about and shakes his helm while snarling, the clang of the swords on our canons disrupting his thoughts in the most annoying way possible. I manage to get away from the wall as we herd the small Seeker away from there and into the centre of the Arena.

Then he decides.

There's no warning, just a quick tense of his frame before he lunges. Starhopper cries out and tries to swing at him with her cannon. White Dwarf changes his direction, lands at her pedes and leaps up at her hip, sinking his denta into the thin plating.

She cries out in pain as he abruptly pulls her armour away along with some cabling and wires. Her frame goes limp, she falls to the ground as energon wells up and out of the wound. The ebony Seeker's pain receptors get a sudden shock from the overflow of data and forces her into temporary stasis lock while several vital systems reboot.

Nebula and Solarflare charge at Dwarf. He spins around, cackling as white data cables shoot out at them from his back beneath his wings. The cables wrap around my sister's waists and hurls them through the air. They crash into the stands, the force of the throw causing them to skid up hill into several rows of stairs, but they don't get up.

"Orders Commander!" Red Giant snarls as he dodges his ally's swiping claws.

I open the sibling Bond just for him, ~Shoot to confuse while I let him chase me, we'll have to tire h-~ "Watch out!"

Too busy receiving orders, my brother doesn't notice the datacables creeping up behind him. One tightens around his neck and the other crushes a wing in its grip. Red's shriek of agony is half cut off by the cable around his neck, the other half is drowned out by Dwarf giving a shrill laugh of delight as he chokes his only brother till he off-lines and falls to the ground.

I'm left all alone with the one bot that wants me deactivated more than any other does. There's always this one problem when the ex-hacker snaps, the problem is that we're trying to offline him, and harm him as little as possible in the process. Yet White Dwarf has no problem deactivating whoever he pleases, and if he has the time, he'll be more than happy to do it in the most pain filled way that he can think of.

He sniggers and takes two tentative steps forward. I respond by changing my cannon back to my servo and drawing the other sword. Hissing challengingly while flexing my claws around the hilts, I crack my neck joints and take up a fighting stance.

"Bring it!"

He charges right at me, claws out and datacables away. A sure sign that he's not saving me for later like the others. He's going in for the kill now!

I side step and immediately spin, most would say that my arms are flailing about, but really I move them so that my swords slash two identical cuts on my brother's wings as he hurtles past. He snarls and skids to a stop, but decides to instead leap at the last moment so that he kicks off the wall and twirls around, launching himself at me.

He gets an arm around my neck but keeps running at the opposite wall, dragging me along in the chocking hold. White Dwarf pushes me in front of himself and slams my back against the wall, all his gathered momentum going into the attack. I scream as my wings bend forward, joints creaking and groaning in protest.

"~Moony, Moony, Moony~" he sings and shoves me onto my aft, scratching my wings further, "~rip, rip, rip-aty rip! HAHAHAHAHA!~" He laughs with delight as he curls his claws around my left leg and gives it a hard yank.

I screech in agony, warnings flashing in my HUD as the limb tares halfway out of its socket. My vision flares white and my vocaliser nearly breakers from the shriek I give as he buries all five sharp claws of a servo into the wound, energon gushes out and stains his digits. He rips his claws, as well as some wires, out with a staticky laugh.

The ground shakes slightly, there's a loud crash and Dwarf is thrown into the stands to my right. Everything's slightly blurry as my visual sensors struggle to reboot, but I can clearly make out the figure standing protectively over me, one pede to the right of my legs and the other to the left.

"M-my Lord?" I manage to say without hissing at the pain in my thigh.

Megatron smirks, "It's been too long since I've had a real challenge in an arena like this."

"J-just don't deactivate him!" I cry out as the ex-gladiator charges at my brother again.

Dwarf leaps out of the stands, over the titan, and skids to a stop on all fours behind him. He sniggers happily, even though his wings are bent in two different directions and there's energon seeping out from several deep cuts all over his frame. The rabid coding must be scrabbling his pain receptors, because with those wounds he shouldn't be able to stand. The blue lights in his optics show that they're online, yet they seem eerily dead and dim.

With a shriek of delight he claps, "~Big challenge! Fun, fun, fun!~"

The warlord spins effortlessly and goes to kick the little Seeker, who just gives him a taunting laugh as he skips to the side. The front half of his pedes snap back and he turns to face the opposite direction, then rockets away. The tyrant snarls and gives chase. But even with his wounds my brother's smaller than average frame gives him extra speed, one that none of my siblings can keep up with.

He's a blur as he manages to get behind his slow opponent before the Con can even notice. When the ex-hacker is four espes from Megatron he lunges at him. He's always relied on his speed to give his attacks the strength his frame lacks, it shows now more than ever as he puts every bit of force he can muster into the blow.

He slams his shoulder into the warlord with the power of a twenty espe long missile, causing the larger mech to topple forward, his heavy frame and gravity both working against him. As soon as Megatron hits the ground he reacts, pushing himself up on one servo and swinging the other around to hit Dwarf.

The pale Seeker is sent flying once more, crashing against the wall. They both get up, my brother more shakily than the ex-gladiator. But the corrupt mech's shaking frame is caused by his silent laughter. His plating rattles violently as he forces the laughs back...suddenly, he freezes.

White Dwarf turns his helm, optics bright and terrified, he looks right at me, "M-Moonbeam, h-help \me\, plea-" his helm twists the other way and he shrieks with a mixture of delight, anger and protest, "~No one help White Dwarf. Coding kill. Hahahaha. Kill. Kill! **Kill**!~"

He's fighting. My brother is awake in there and he's fighting it! I never knew that he struggled against the coding, I always thought it forced him away and into stasis.

"White Dwarf!" I scream, his gaze snaps back to me and grins in a way that my spark tells me to hide, but I return the glare, "Brother, I know you're in there, fight it! I know you can, please, I _know_ you can!"

The mech slowly tilts his helm and whispers with a cold tone, "~White Dwarf not home right now pretty femme~"

His gaze snaps around to lock onto Megatron, who's staring at him cautiously, "~Hahahahaha! Megsy kill coding then he kill White Dwarf! Moony and sibbies no longer fight, Megsy lose strong warriors! COME ON! Kill coding, Terror of Kaon! **Live up to your title! Do the one thing that you're good at! Ahhhahahahahahaha!~"**

He's short circuiting! Vocaliser becoming less staticky and much deeper, a sign that the virus is finally gaining full control over his frame. And that means that soon it'll be able to operate his servo cannons.

Datacables shoot forward. The warlord has no time to act as they take his wrists in a grip stronger than a Wrecker's crushing hold, one rips his cannon off and throws it at Dwarf's pedes. The mad mech grins at his new toy caught in his appendages and tentatively touches his trophy with a toe. Then he looks at Megatron and smiles.

There's a creaking, groaning noise as the cables strain to lift the ex-gladiator's large, heavily armoured frame off the ground. The tyrant snarls and tugs at the cables, but my brother just screeches with laughter. My Lord has no stable ground to brace his pedes on, if he did then the tug would've had Dwarf sprawled on the floor.

His frame shakes violently as it struggles to take the weight of the warlord. The cables wrap tighter around his wrists and the ends make their way to Megatron's bared neck. I look around, desperately trying to find something to use as a weapon. My swords are too large and the wounds hinder my throwing abilities, I wouldn't be able to throw that far. If I used my guns or cannons I'd risk killing my brother.

Wait! My hip playing is shattered on one side making my dagger trapped there, but my other one is fine. The armour snaps open and I pull the throwing knife out. One shot, just one.

"~Throw that and White Dwarf not choke him~" the ex-hacker sniggers, his optics still fixed on Megatron, **"~White Dwarf snap his neck! Ahahahahaha!~"**

The warlord snarls and kicks as his pedes dangle an espe off the ground. The datacables reach his neck and waste no time curling loosely around his throat. Suddenly, the sections of the appendages that are wrapped around the ex-gladiator's wrists loosen and the parts around his neck tighten at the same time. My brother shrieks with horrifying delight as Megatron roars in rage and desperation, his claws digging into the cables.

"~Terror of Kaon not so terrory now, hey Megsy?~" the white Seeker laughs as he stares at his masterpiece of chaos with glee.

Something dives right at Dwarf's helm and he snarls as he swipes it away. Laserbeak! Her brother, Buzzsaw, joins in with the attack. If they're here, that means-

A new datacable joins the fray, this one pure black. It wraps around my brother's and pulls them together, a second one lifts the ex-hacker off the ground with ease. The Seeker yelps as the tables are turned, in his shock he lets go of Megatron, who falls to his knees. The warlord clutches his throat and pants, intakes struggling to keep him online.

"Don't...deactivate him," Megatron manages to cough out.

Soundwave just calmly stares up at my struggling brother. Then the Seeker stops, he grins and manages to connect the end of a cable to the TIC's. White Dwarf screeches as Soundwave shudders.

**"~Datadatadatadatadata! Hahahaha!~"** my brother laughs as he shakes in the Communication Officer's grasp, **"~Ohhh! Cables got Soundy's Creators deactivated!~"** he grins down at the stoic mech, who actually flinches at his words, **"~Sire scream as baddies kill him, Carrier desperately try to protect you, he die with little sparkling Soundy in his arms! Soundy so weak! Couldn't help Creators! Weakling! Hahahaha!~"**

The TIC's grip loosens and White Dwarf falls to the ground, laughing as he rolls around. Soundwave's frame shakes, he takes a step back.

"~Soundy thinks feelings hurt? **White Dwarf show weak sparkling true pain!~"** the ex-hacker lunges.

I throw my dagger.

It sinks into his back just below his right wing, the Seeker screams as his knees buckle and he staggers but doesn't fall. Then he spins around and leaps at me.

"~Scream for me Moony~" he cackles and falls to his knees so that they straddle my calves, sinking his claws into my wound once more, but much slower this time as the datacables slither back into their sockets, the mech bobs his helm from side to side as he sings, "~Scream my little lovely, scream-"~

_"~Mine sweet lovely!~"_

White Dwarf's frame jerks around to look at the sound and I hiss as he removes his claws.

_"Now you sing, yah?"_

Random? Blitzwing's crazy persona? That's my saviour!?

My brother blinks a few times, then a devilish grin spreads across his face, he leaps up and bounces forward, "~Sing, sing, sing. What is this thing?~"

 _"~Vat a lovely sing I say~"_ Random gives a shrill laugh.

"~And who is I?~" the ex-hacker does a full spin mid jump as he dances over to the larger mech.

 _"~I am I~"_ the black faced Triple-Changer rocks back and forth on his pedes, grinning away with his servos clasped behind his back.

"~I am you~" Dwarf does a little hop and a skip as he giggles.

_"~You are me~"_

"~Me is we~"

_"~Vee are us~"_

"~Us is I~" my brother stops in front of Random, grinning up at him like a predator eying its next meal.

 _"Oopsie,"_ the mad Con cackles as he brings his servos out from behind his back and snaps a pair of stasis cuffs on White Dwarf's wrists.

The ex-hacker stares down at his servos for a longtime, face plates the perfect definition of shock. Suddenly his optics widen, he bares his denta, then lets out an ungodly scream of rage and desperately tries to get loose; but the cuffs only give him enough mobility for his frame to shake with fury.

_"Oh goodie, I vin,"_ Random claps and bounces on his heels. 

The sanity in the insane. Only Random, a mech whose madness isn't as destructive but is still on par with White Dwarf's, could see my brother's weakness. That weakness is his insanity itself.

**********

As the Vehicons carry Red Giant's offline frame, the last of my siblings, to the med bay I allow myself to let a sigh of relief out. Shifting my servos back I grip the deep claw marks in the wall behind me and use them to pull myself up. All my weight instinctively goes to my good pede, I grin and, since I've just cheated death today, I become cocky. I step and put my entire weight onto my ruined leg. The knee buckles, I shriek and fall on my good side, my frame shivers violently as I force back my sobs of shear agony.

"You were so smart till you did that," a deep vocaliser growls.

I don't have to look up to know who's talking to me, "I can manage my Lord."

"Hardly," Megatron huffs and bends down.

The tyrant wraps one arm around my back, then gently hooks the other beneath my legs. He stands swiftly, pulling my hissing, shuddering frame close to his chassis.

"Thi-" I stop and growl as my leg give a final throb of pain from the quick shift, my intakes heave and I shutter my optics as I clam down, "this is unnecessary Lord Megatron."

But it seems like the warlord won't take a 'no' for an answer as he heads to the Arena's exit. He carries me down the hallways, deadly claws and crushing arms cradling my frame in a delicate hold, Vehicons stop to take a second look at the sight. I blush with embarrassment at the amount of attention I'm receiving, instinctively pressing my face against his chassis in a vain attempt to hide.

"They can still see you," my Lord chuckles, chassis vibrating with the soft laugh.

His rumbling chassis makes the blush deepen and I push my face harder against my newfound hiding place, "But I can't see them."

"Childish," he mutters in a half-sparked tone.

I want to look at him, but in my current state of embarrassment I look to the right instead. My entire frame tenses, I gasp with a combination of the throbbing pain the movement brings, plus the sight of the very large and very deep gash across the side of his waist.

"Lord Megatron," I look up at him and tap a claw on his wrist to get his attention, "you're badly hurt."

"No," he huffs and straightens his walking stance, "I'm simply hurt. I've had, seen and inflicted far worse.."

"But you're losing energon," my vocaliser sounds more confused than I want it to.

"That may be true, but you're losing more than I am," his pace quickens ever so slightly, just enough that I can notice the change, but not so much that my frame is jolted about by his steps.

"I'm fine," I mutter as the blush arises once more.

"No, you're not fine," the growling tone ends the conversation there.

The med bay doors open and I'm greeted with the worrying vocalisers of my three online siblings, along with deranged sniggers from a side room.

"~Scratchy, scratchy, scratchy pretty red painty!~" White Dwarf giggles, he may be immobilised, but he can still speak...although it's still more like singing.

"Hook!" I hear Knock Out's frightened vocaliser cry out, "Can we swap?"

"I resigned as CMO because I thought you could handle things like this kid," an old green and purple crane snarls back as he tends to Starhopper's shredded hip, "now suck it up ya prissy Towers mech!"

"Don't tell me to suck it up you old wind bag!"

"I'LL GIVE YOU _WIND BAG_ YA FRAGGING, PLEASURE-BOT, BERTH-HOPPER!" Hook suddenly roars with rage.

A mixer with the same colour scheme as Hook chuckles as he stops his work on Starscream's offline frame for a moment, "Three, two, one..."

Knock Out storms out, circular saw and drill ready to maim the crane, "Take. That. Back!"

"What? The truth?" the old mech sniggers as he places the last new piece of plating on Star's hip.

The red grounder stares at him with a hurt expression, then turns abruptly and marches back into the side room with his helm held high.

"Give him a break," the mixer sighs and gets back to work.

"Tell me Mixmaster, why should I?" Hook growls, he pushes the plating on my youngest sister's hip a bit too hard and she gives a yelp followed by a little whimper, "Sorry love, that kid just makes me so damn fragging mad!"

"He's obviously in heat," Megatron finally steps forward and glares at the old crane, "that's more than enough of a reason to treat him gently, no one likes his mood swings, especially since Breakdown hasn't taken care of his excess needs for a over a vorn now."

Mixmaster snorts, "Perhaps you should frag him through the berth, just to...holy slag," his optics bulge as he notices my torn thigh.

"Hello," I say dryly and give them a sarcastic wave, "bleeding to death here, you femmes wanna help me out or keep gossiping?"

"Knocks, ya done on that patching?! Scavenger, give the little lady a servo will ya," Hook yells as he shoos Starhopper off the berth, she gets off and a digger rushes forward help her limp to a seat.

"Only Breakdown can call me that you insufferable old wrench! And yes, I'm done and he's in stasis," the medic stalks back out, expression nothing short of completely pissed off and servos clenched so tightly that it's a miracle he's not drawing Energon.

"Make sure the patch on the little one is secure while I work on these two," the crane huffs and taps the medical berth, Megatron gently places me on it, I growl at the relentless ache when my bad leg makes contact with the berth.

"Since when did you have the authority to order me around? I thought you'd resigned!" Knock Out hisses, "And the _little one_ has a name, it's Starhopper."

"Too many slagging Stars in here if ya ask me," Scavenger mutters, my little sister glares at him but gives the red grounder an obvious smile as he approaches.

Nebula, Solarflare and I immediately catch on to what she's doing.

"Well," Nebula hums to herself, "we've got Starscream, Starhopper, me annnd...oh _Knock Out_."

"Nah," Solarflare chuckles and shakes her helm, "Knock Out's the real star, it _is his_ medical bay after all."

The cherry coloured medic grins at the compliments, but Hook growls as he takes a look at my leg and decides to bring him back down a notch while also turning down my pain receptors.

"The only thing he's ever gotten a star for is being the Decepticon berth-hopper."

"That's not true," the CMO mutters, optics flashing with anger, "Breakdown had been courting me for twenty vorns by the time the war started."

"Whatever," the crane waves him away as he reaches for a tool.

With a hiss I slap his servo away and glare at him, "If your servos are as disgusting as your manners then I don't want them _anywhere_ near me!"

"Oh slag," Nebula mutters to no one in particular, "the servo covers are off now."

"Hey, I'm just trying ta help," he snaps, oblivious to the deeper meaning of my comment.

"Frag off," I bare my denta in a threatening display, "I'd prefer your Chief's steady, young servos rummaging around between my thighs than your old shaky ones."

"Watch it you incompetent glitch," the crane growls, "I've been doing this far longer than that greenhorn has and-"

"And your old age has given you a temper that creates a horrible berthside manner, you also have shaky servos, weak optics and...to be honest, you really need a trip to the washracks," I huff and cover up my olfactory receptor.

Hook stares at me, I look at his servos and see that he's got a cloth pressed against my wound to slow the energon flow, they are shaking.

I smirk, "How do you like it, you slagging old glitch?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First serious fight scene I've ever written! The choreography was difficult though. But all in all I must say, I'm very proud of it :D


	3. Sick Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ****
> 
>  
> 
> **They say that we make our own Demons**  
>  **That we are never given them**  
>  **What they don't know is that**  
>  **There are some rare cases**  
>  **Where our Demons _choose_ us**  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "~Text~" in the third section (the section after the second set of '*') of this chapter doesn't indicate singing, they indicate echoing.
> 
> It's mostly important info, but if you like horror, suspense and the Supernatural TV show then continue.

~Megatron's POV~

"Hmm...good," Red Giant mutters as he gives a slightly impressed look at the patchwork on his wing.

"Just doing my job," the grounder smirks as he twirls his hammer.

I'm still shuddering inwardly at the fact he used that thing to 'gently force' the larger dents out of the red Seeker's crushed wing.

"Where's the fragging buffer already?!" Nebula whines as she hunts for the lost treasure in the medical bay's large storage room, "My finish is hideous and I refuse to leave looking like this!"

"And I absolutely refuse to discharge you from my medical care in that state my dear," the medic gasps and joins the hunt.

"I'm giving it half a vorn till this ship goes up in flames because of those two hot-headed, vanity-bots," I can't help but find it ironic that Solarflare just said that and I raise a questioning optic ridge at her flame-decorated coat.

"~Burning sparklings! Where are you now?!~" White Dwarf's maniac laughter promptly demolishes the cheery atmosphere in the room.

For nearly an entire breem the only sound heard is the two Decepticons rummaging through the storage room, yet neither speaks to the other.

"I should go," Starhopper finally mutters as she gets up.

"Just don't over exert yourself," Knock Out's toneless vocaliser says from the storage room.

"I'm coming with you," Solarflare sighs and heads to the door.

"Why?" The youngest Seeker frowns in mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"So I can make sure you don't apologise to that slag-helm Hook."

"To be fair, it was Moonbeam who took it too far," Star growls to herself.

"No," her eldest, and temporarily berth bound, sister huffs as she crosses her arms, "taking it too far would be shoving his hook up his tailpipe, putting stasis cuffs on him and then throwing him into the vacuum of space. But not before a good, and very much deserved, mocking of course."

"He walked out looking like he was going to cry," the spotted femme whimpers.

"Frag him!" Moonbeam snarls, bearing her denta and brandishing her claws, "You all know that I don't mind a bit of playful banter, but he was being an aft! And so were his assistants!"

"Commander."

"Yes Red, you can go," the dark silver Seeker waves her brother away with a growl.

"Um...thank you," he purses his lips and walks away stiffly, nodding to me as he passes, "my Lord."

I watch Moonbeam's face soften from anger into something akin to regret and sadness as the doors close behind her siblings.

"Knock Out," Nebula shifts from one pede to the other as she holds up a buffer, "can...can I take this to my quarters?"

"Uh, sure. Just bring it back," even my CMO feels the thick, awkward and tense filled air as he avoids everyone's gazes.

"Nebula," Moonbeam stares at her pedes and sighs.

"Y-yes, Commander?" The turquoise Seeker flinches.

It's the first time I've herd her use her eldest sister's title.

"Tell..." the hexad leader bites her lower lip and taps the medical berth with a claw, "tell Star, Red and Solar I'm sorry for...for yelling."

The spy sighs and nods, "Sure thing Moon," then she leaves without any other exchanges.

Breakdown, Knock Out and I all watch the lunar coloured Seeker shutter her optics and let out a shuddered sigh. Her pain receptors are still off, but I don't think that stops her from feeling it in her emotions.

"~Why do you burn little sparklings?~" she flinches and growls at the sniggering mech in the other room.

"Shut up Dwarf!" Moonbeam shrieks, slamming a clenched servo on the berth.

There's a staticky laugh from the unstable mech, Moonbeam growls and blinks rapidly, quickly raising a servo to wipe her optics. She bites her lower lip and whimpers, arms curling around herself, then she changes her processor and uses her servos to cover her grief riddled face.

"Um, you're set to go too, if you wish...my liege," Breakdown gets up from his kneeling position he was in while patching up the wound on my waist.

But I remain seated, staring at the femme whose spirit is almost broken beyond repair. Something tweaks in my Spark chamber. I frown, it's been so long since I've felt something other than anger burning through in my spark that I'd nearly forgotten I had one. That feeling...I've only felt it for one other, but he's been dead to me for a longtime now.

"If you can stand then you may leave if you want," Knock Out steps over to the Seeker, turns her pain receptors back on, then extends a servo for her.

"I've endured far worse," Moonbeam growls, taking the servo and leaning on the mech as she drags herself off the berth.

My optics remain fixed on her pedes as she tentatively stands, instinctively lifting her wounded leg with a growl, the tips of her toes barely touching the ground.

"Can you take your own weight without hopping?" the cherry red mech looks at her patch and frowns.

"I'm fine," she hisses and lets go of his arm, the toes of her torn leg hesitantly pushing down.

The femme takes a step on her bad limb, then immediately slams the other in front of it, putting all her weight on the good one as her expression shifts from pain to relief.

"You don't...seem fine," Knock Out huffs as he raises an optic ridge.

"I am," I can see the anger growing in her expression as her frame tenses then relaxes with each uneven step.

"Don't make a habit of limping," the grounder says, making one last attempt at having a conversation with her, "if you do then once the cabling in your hip has healed, the new, weak cables will grind against your joints and create a very painful tear in them. A tear that will take many vorns to heal."

"Noted," with that Moonbeam limps out of the medical bay.

My audials twitch at the sound of the sniggering mech in the other room. Suddenly, an idea begins to take shape in my processor.

"Knock Out," I growl at my CMO.

"Yes my liege," he yelps and spins around to face me.

"Can the Seeker be cured?"

"I...um...perhaps," he leans on the medical berth, tapping the surface with a claw and staring at the ground looking like he's deep in thought, "he's got datacables like Soundwave though, so it's safe to assume that he has multitudes of data in his processor. It'd take countless orns to sort through it all and find the virus, the sorting would have to be done manually too. Then I'd have to decode it, analyse it and find an anti-virus to combat it. It'll take a few vorns altogether, assuming everything runs smoothly and all of my equipment remains in perfect condition. The scanners should've picked up the twisted code last orbital, which means it's an ancient virus, so running a third scan would be pointless."

"Is there a way to separate it from the rest this orbital?" I pray to Primus that there is, then everyone can recharge in peace.

"There...no, no," it looks as if a thought struck him for a moment, but he waves me away and turns to leave.

I clench my denta and snarl, "Don't lie to me grounder!"

"I-I don't...it...it's far too risky," clearly he forgets who he's speaking to.

"Terror of Kaon and Lord of the Decepticon's," I remind him, narrowing my optics as my engines rumble in a threatening growl.

"A...um...if the memory of when the virus was activated is stirred, then I'd be able to immobilise the code so that I could copy it for later study and decoding," Knock Out looks hopeful for a moment, then he sighs, "But...from what I've seen so far, the coding is smart, not just a mindless killer. It knew how to fight, it didn't just blindly charge, it knew everyone's weaknesses. It seems to have some form of artificial-intelligence, and a high one at that, I think it would've put as many firewalls and pass-codes around that memory as possible."

"Then we go _fishing_ ," I chuckle, giving him a dark smile.

"Like I said, it's too risky, as your Chief Medical Officer I strongly advise you to not do this Lord Megatron," he shakes his helm, optics fierce and determined.

"Then I shall order Hook to do it, although I'd prefer...steady servos for this job," what Moonbeam said is true, while Hook is a great physician, he's let himself become too stressed, which has revealed his old age and taken its toll on his frame. As well as his personality. 

"A Cortical Psychic Patch then?" Knock Out sighs in defeat.

**********

"~Hehehe, pretty, pretty birdie~" White Dwarf coos as he stares at Starscream as if he's going to eat him at the first chance he gets.

"Make sure those bonds are secure," my Second growls as he tries to push his sitting frame closer to the wall, the silly fragger insisted that he'd watch, even though his wounds need at least four orbitals to heal completely.

"They are," the medic glares at the Seeker, checking the cuffs on the ex-hacker's wrists and ankles that pin him to the medical berth, then the couplings over his datacable housings.

"~Hehehe, you get nothing from White Dwarf...but White Dwarf know everything about you all~" the white mech sniggers, black tipped wings quivering as he giggles.

"Doubt it," my Second huffs, crossing his arms and flicking his helm back in a display of egotistical pride.

But the insane mech decides to take that as a challenge.

"~Screamy try so hard to be like Creators, they such good King and Queen of Vos. But Screamy only get Vos destroyed at start of war, destruction kill Creators~" Dwarf's grin widens at Starscream's flabbergasted look.

"I-I...you..." The Seeker looks away, shame riddled all over his face.

The pale mech slowly turns his helm to me and begins a slow, made up song, vocaliser a sharp whisper that grows louder and deeper with each word, "~Miner miner, Megsy. Swing your pick, axe-y. Born to be, just a machine. **Mine the rare ores, D-Sixteen!~"**

Before I can even snarl with rage he starts on Breakdown, who flinches at the sight of his piercing gaze.

"~Brothers think medic good for you, tell you to be with him...but you betray brothers for lover. Daww, cute Breaky! Like it when medic call you that, Breaky! Dishonourable, cheating, backstabbing, brother-betraying-and-hurting Breaky! Hahahahahaha~" he spasms in his restraints, frame shivering with relish as he toys with our processors, "~Now Knocky!~"

"As if you'd know about me," the mech snarls and takes a step back, yet his tone is a challenging one.

"~Creators...no...Sire war hero gone mad, want to kill son. Knocky run away, records say he appear again in Praxus, Praxus, Praxus, Praxus!~" his vocaliser short circuits, stuck on the name of his burnt home, "~Ahahaha! Knocky fashion designer, his courted not like it, Knocky becomes very prudey and courted think it because he too busy with work. He burn business three times, third time kill two models. Knocky stop and decide to be medic instead, meets Breaky there. Courted get desperate for fuck buddy, cheat on him with six mechs and three femmes-~"

"That is it!" The medic darts over to a shelf and grabs his Energon Rod, a weapon he very rarely uses. There's a fire in usually calm, smooth mech's optics that I've never seen before.

White Dwarf screams and laughs with delight as the electrolysed weapon makes contact with his right wing, his entire frame rattles, but he continues to laugh through the pain as sparks dance across his armour.

"~Fucking slutty medic only spike partners to cool sexy need after heats!~" even through his screams and cackles of pain he manages to continue, "~Yet so sad when courted fuck a few bots. Hypocrite!~"

"Fragging piece of scrap!" the small mech hisses and jabs the rod at the Seeker's bared, vulnerable neck as hard as he can.

The ex-hacker's frame twists in his bonds, vocaliser short circuiting several times, each time it manages to reboot a new scream begins. Yet his optics show nothing short of complete relish and sick excitement.

"Knock Out, stop!" The blue bruiser tries to pull his mate away, but he staggers back as a white wing slams into his chassis.

"Enough!" I wrap my arms around the red grounder's middle, pulling him up and away from the mad mech; the rod clatters to the ground where it automatically powers down.

"Stupid, stupid aft! I'll kill you, you bastardly, rejected glitch of a scrap-helmed Autobot!" Knock Out sobs, shaking with rage as I pass him to his mate. 

"~S-s-seeee-e-ee, W-Wh-White Dwa-Dwarf knooo...kno-know!~" his frame twitches, vocaliser trying to function even after his endless screams of twisted pleasure.

**********

I'm falling...wait, that's not right. When a Cortical Psychic Patch is initiated the two participants stand on solid ground, sometimes in a world created by one processor, but because of the quick setup Knock Out did there's no such luxury this time. It was either a proper setup with no communications, or a quick one and communications with the medic.

"~Hehehehe, you like to fly?~" a deep, smooth vocaliser chuckles somewhere in the darkness, "~If so...then why do you fall?~"

With a snarl I hit the ground, or something solid and stable, yet it's dark like everything else. A see-through floor perhaps? Scrap! I hiss as my back gives a delayed stab of pain from the impact.

"~Hmm, like what I've done with the place?~" the vocaliser coos as a soft, yet eerie light appears and a mech steps out of the shadows, revealing the floor to look as if it's made of glass. Black, the perfect contract for his star-white frame.

He looks exactly like White Dwarf, except the young Seeker still has his blue Autobot optics. This mech has the red ones of an enraged gladiator and sharp denta that shouldn't be part of a Seeker's frame.

Pulling myself to my pedes I crouch with my blade out, being sure that I'm ready to take either an offensive or defensive action if needed, "I liked your entrance better," I growl.

"~Why thank you~" he purrs, forcing a smile of thanks onto his lips, the corners of his mouth twitch as he struggles to keep it, "~it's not every-orbital I get guests in my funhouse, so I do try to make a good impression~"

Then I notice another difference, "Your speech, it's not deranged, it's more...refined."

"~Ah, that may have something to do with the fact that I'm not struggling for control over the vocaliser with the...~" he takes a breath and thinks for a moment, before giving me a sneer that makes me feel as if I'm talking to the enemy of Primus himself, he emphasises each word with a twitch of both optic ridges, _**"~current tenant~"**_

"I take it I'm talking to the virus that plagues White Dwarf's processor then?" I straighten my spinal strut and cross my arms behind my back in an attempt to relax, showing that I don't want a fight by sheathing my sword.

"~Oh...I think the word 'virus' is a bit barbaric~" he chuckles, shaking his helm in disappointment, "~but then again you were a _miner_ then a _gladiator_ and now a _warlord_ , slowly making your way up the barbarian food chain I see. Although I must say, I've seen far better than what you've achieved Megatronus. Personally, I prefer the word...upgrade~" he somehow manages to make a sweet smile seem twisted and mocking as he clicks the tips of his claws together rhythmically.

"In what Universe is a code that kills and turns the host insane an upgrade?" Keep him talking, that's what my CMO said, just long enough to make him relax and reveal the memory we need.

"~Mine!~" he cackles with an elegant sweep of a servo to indicate the black plane we're standing on, "~White Dwarf was far too _weak, caring, loving!_ ~" He spits the words out as if they're worse than Tox-En, "~I saw his potential, his data cables have a power like no other, but still the same kind of power owned by every other bot with the gene. And like them, he has the bonus of a processor that can hold the biggest upgrade ever! I'm vast miner, the lines of code that I'm made of go on and on. They have an end of course, but there are so few Cybetronians out there that can hold me, data cable bots have genetically large storage systems in their processors. By the Thirteen, even the Matrix would have trouble holding me! Although, I find that anything with the taint of Primus on or in it is rather unpleasant for me to be around. I get a horrible itch that simply won't go away~"

All of that is either an overstatement or-

::Sir:: Knock Out's vocaliser echoes in my audials, the corrupted code shows no sign of hearing him, just as planned, ::I think it might b-::

"~Shh, shush, shush, shhhh~" the upgrade' clutches his helm and hisses, "~You're buzzing my dear D-Sixteen, stop trying so hard to _think_ ~"

"What are you?" I leap at the chance to begin the interrogation, and distract myself from his previous comment.

"~I'm a one-of-a-kind piece of coding, and I wear it well~" he sighs, checking his claws with a vain expression, his optics flick up to stare at me, the light dims and two crimson orbs glare at me from the depths of the darkness, "~I'm the thing that made your people create the word virus. I'm what all Cybertronians fear, even the greatest of gladiators, I came into existence before your race onlined its optics. I'm ancient, before the first simple Cybertronian, but after the Thirteen and the opposite of them. I'm the thing that goes bump in the night-cycle, the thing that whispers in the shadows, the thing that all mechs and femmes are aware of yet never see. **I am your _worst_ nightmare!~"**

"One of a kind? Don't you have copies? What exactly are you?!" Calm Megatron, calm, don't look at his optics. If you stare into the abyss for too long then it'll slowly pull you in. It's lying, trying to unnerve you.

"~Ha, scared already, quivering, little gladiator? No Master here to help you? Ohh yes, Fallen lived up to his designation, didn't he?~" I try to not show how each word is like a dagger to my Spark as those optics shine their mocking gaze at me, trying to get past my processor and into my emotions, "~The Iacon database could barely hold me! When Primus chased my Master away with his silly boyband, he didn't know that my Master left me as a small gift. A brother's-goodbye-present if you will. My code was scattered so very thinly throughout the processors of hundreds of Cybertronians, it took me millions of vorns to pull myself together. I was in the Iacon database when a green, thick helmed clerk named Kup, unwittingly brought my final piece of code to me. White Dwarf was training, trying to hack the database, with the Alpha Trion's permission of course. I lodged myself in his cables and bided my time, countless vorns of waiting has given me the horrible patience of a Priest of Primus. During the fires of Praxus White Dwarf's processor defences crashed, giving me the entrance I needed. **You know what I am, _miner_. Say my name!~" ******

I clench my fists and give a threatening growl, "I think you'll find it more delightful if you say it."

The virus sniggers, he walks up to me confidently, arms crossed behind his back, stopping so close that his chassis touches the armour over my tank. Yet he looks up at me as if he's looking down.

He whispers cold, dark words that make my Spark weep with fear and my legs scream for me to run, "~I've been in hiding for so long that my designation is now a myth, a story told to teach younglings to not go poking their digits where they shouldn't...My name has many meanings, it's been remade many times, _twisted_ into abominations that _wilt_ in comparison to what it really is! But the first one, my true one, is... _ **Spawn of Unicron!**_ ~"

Unable to hide my fear I step back with a growl, claws ready to defend myself. My Creator's told me the tales of this virus whenever I misbehaved too much, the stories of the "Spawn of Unicron" had fuelled my nightmares for many vorns during my youth.

He cackles, shivering as he bares his serrated denta, "~Fear!~" the Destroyer's offspring snarls, "~I feast on the fear I create, and the pain of my victim's death as well as their sorrow is always a sweet desert!~" he stops, smirking as his wings flutter, "~But it's been so long since I've had anyone to actually talk to. White Dwarf's delicate sanity didn't last two metacycles. So...let's play a game, if you can keep on playing, you may continue to live~"

::Lord Megatron, he's done something to the patch!:: Starscream cries out over the link, ::Knock Out can't terminate it!::

There's no choice, I ready my cannon and grit my denta together, "Fine then, let's... _play_."

"~Oh you typical gladiator~" Spawn sniggers as he waves me away, "~No, no, let's not sully our lovely little meeting with the exchange of blows and wounds. A question for a question, I ask you something and you answer, then you ask something for me to answer. Around and around we shall go, until you run out of questions that is. I can't run out because I have three-quarters of the Iacon's database stored in my memory, that's not including what White Dwarf has! Even your simple, barbaric processor can keep up with that~"

::Don't do it Master! It's a trap...:: Starscream is cut off and there's a scuffle over the connection, a bit of enraged Seeker clicking along with some normal Cybertronian swearing.

Suddenly Knock Out mutters ::Fragger _wrecked_ my finish! Alright my liege, I've got an idea. Just keep asking him questions. Dwarf is in complete shut down, so right now the monitors are reading the virus's vitals, I'll tell you when he's completely relaxed and you can ask to see the memory file. Just be careful with what you ask and don't get him too tense, no matter what he says::

"...Very well," I growl at both my CMO and the code before me, "around we go then."

"~I'll go first~" the mech chuckles, mimicking his Master's sneer once more as he taps his chin, "~Hmm...oh, I've got a great opener! Do you... _miss_ your Creators?~"

An odd sound gets caught in my throat, he had to start with that one, he just had to...

::Easy Lord Megatron:: the medic's soft whispering is somehow soothing, ::don't let him get to you::

The Spawn of Unicron continues to stare at me, he takes a few steps back and gives me an taunting look, "~A simple yes or no will suffice, but do take your time, the pain you're radiating is absolutely delicious~"

"Is my pain not enough of an answer?" I try to keep the sharp growl in my tone, forcing the shaking in my servos to stop.

"~No, not really, I'd love to hear you say it. There's a certain satisfaction that I get from breaking a mech with your status, history and frame size. I know the answer...and I know that there are mechs watching us, ones who look up to you. So sad they can't comfort you though~" he feigns sadness, yet his optics continue to mock me.

"I..."

::Slag it all!:: Knock Out's growl is followed by a loud bang, possibly him hitting the monitor, ::My Sire wanted to _kill me!_ We won't think any less of you or your Creators, whatever your answer is::

"...Yes, just like any creation I loved my Creators, I do miss them," I flinch, not at my opponent's sneer, but at how emotionless my vocaliser is.

"~Aww, now, that wasn't so hard was it?~" Unicron's apprentice sniggers, clicking his claws together again.

"Don't you care for your Master? He's technically your Sire _and_ your Carrier!" I snarl in a small fit of rage, not realising that I just asked my question till his face lights up before he answers.

"~Oh, my answer is exactly the same as yours~" he says with a pleasant tone and smile, the fact that it's not faked makes me feel very uneasy, "~I care for him as if he were my Creator...I've never seen him in person though, but once he has risen then he shall give me what every Carrier and Sire gives their sparkling~"

"Which is?"

"~Ahahah, nooo~" he shakes a digit at me, optics mirroring those of a scolding Carrier, "~It's my turn...hmm...oh yes, I've got one! Do you like Moonbeam?~"

_What does he mean by that? No, I can't answer with a question._

I ponder over my next sentence, trying to not ask something while trying to ask what he's saying, "Be a bit more specific."

"~Yah know~" he grins while standing side on to me, linking his servos over his helm as he rolls his hips in the most suggestive way possible in all of space and time, "~Do you _like_ her? As in would you do the _dirty_ with her, the Universal _night_ -cycle sport, dance _between_ the sheets, ride the berth, _redecorate_ the place~"

::Make him stop Lord Megatron:: Knock Out groans in disgust, ::I think Starscream's frame is about to reject this orbitals rations, and I'm not that far behind::

"You're sick," I growl, admittedly I agree with the medic, the thought of Unicron's disciple being sexually active is an extremely...unpleasant one.

"~Gaww, you~" he smirks, flicking a servo at me in a playful fashion, "~I may have underestimated you Megatron, it takes courage to flirt with the Spawn of Unicron! Now, your answer?~"

I sigh, "Yes, I must confess that her frame is rather...distracting," I frown at his snigger and suggestive optic ridge movements, "and it's not because my Master is her Sire!"

"~Then you must have a thing for Seekers~" the code chuckles as he looks at his claws again, "~or was Starscream's limp last orbital caused by a wound and not a good, long frag from a certain miner currently poking around in my rented apartment?~"

"You had your question," I can't help but smile at the feeling of triumph I get from the sight of his shocked expression, as well as the comical sound of my Second's enraged chirping.

The flirtatious look returns and he gives me a nod of approval, "~Hmm, you learn fast, good mech~"

"What will your Master give you when he rises?"

His playful smile vanishes and is replaced by a blank look, "~A fast learner but a stupid mech...interesting combination~" the virus shrugs carelessly, lifting his servos a little, "~Think you silly gladiator, when two bots love each other very much they decide to have a sparkling, to do this they need to interface to make the frame. Then at the same time they have to Spark-merge in order to make the...~" he mentions to me with an elegant gesture of a servo.

"...The Spark," I frown in confusion, what use does the Spawn of Unicron have for a Spark?

"~That's what I need to be a real mech~" he giggles, wings fluttering in a strange display of glee, "~My go...do you know what killed your Master?~"

"Poison," I snarl, "his Energon was spiked, Ultra Magnus ordered one of his assassins to do it because he feared that my Master would want custody of the sparklings he'd helped his old friend make."

"~So let me get this straight~" the virus holds up a servo and chuckles, "~The One-Third, Autobot Second in Command, Ultra Magnus wanted bitlits of his own. Because of his political position he didn't have time for a Bond-Mate though, so he asks his old buddy Fallen to frag him to make said bitlits. Moonbeam and her hexad are the end result, Magnus got paranoid and was scared that Fallen would later want the kiddies, so he ordered an assassin to kill him. That's what you're saying, just for record purpose and stuff~"

"Yes..."

His optics widen and he doubles over, clutching his knees as his frame rattles with suppressed laughter, "~Y-you're serious?!~" 

"This is no laughing matter!" I roar, how dare he laugh at my Master's death!

"~I'm sorry, well not really, but...~" he shudders as a snigger surges through his frame, "~You really don't see how you and your entire staff are connected to the hexad?~"

I have no idea what he's heading towards, but I'll go there since he's so worked up about it, "Then that's my turn used up, tell me."

"~Okay, okay, get this~" he laughs and waves me away, "~When Knock Out moves back to Iacon he meets Breakdown, his ex moves out after scrap happens and the Wreckers can't pay rent, so the good doctor lets them live with him. A carrying Ultra Magnus is in-charge of the Wrecker's missions and he hears about Knock Out from Breakdown. So he requests the Iacon hospital that Knock Out becomes his personal doctor, since they're both One-Thirds. Knock Out is the one to deliver Moonbeam and her hexad-~"

::So far he's telling the truth:: my CMO mutters to himself.

And you didn't tell me?!

"~So the Seekers are raised by grounders~" Spawn laughs, shaking his helm, "~Ultra Magnus had killed Fallen by now, so there's no one that can teach the sparklings how to fly. He asks the King and Queen of Vos, they personally teach them, while an adolescent Starscream watches! Oh, but that's not the best part!~" he shrieks, "~Later, the kiddies find out who their Sire was, but they don't know exactly how he died. They end up sneaking out of Iacon and fly allll the way to Kaon. And...oh Unicron! And they see one of the first tag-team gladiator fights. Two absolutely hopeless idiots against...hahaha!~" he finally falls down, shaking with laughter, "~Against Soundwave and Megatronus! Oh how fate twists the lives of the seemingly unimportant so that they all find one another again when they're...well, less unimportant!~"

"And why is this so hilarious?" I growl, I'll be having words with my CMO and Second later.

The Spawn of Unicron chuckles, yet there's an odd hint of pride in his vocaliser as he speaks, "~Why do you think Moonbeam trains so hard, fights so fiercely, has mastered the art of being a natural leader, never takes no for an answer, is so deceptive and slagging betrayed the Autobots! She was love struck from the moment she saw Megatronus walk out onto that Arena! She improved herself in every way to catch her obsession's optics! She doesn't stop thinking about you!~"

He gets up, still shaking a little as he tries to mimic a femme's vocaliser, "~Oh, those piercing optics, imposing shoulder spikes and thick biceps! How my Spark flutters at the very thought of being embraced by him, or simply having his gaze focused on me alone!~" he roars with laughter, returning to his normal vocaliser, "~To say she's helm over heels would be an understatement! **And they call me insane!~** "

The creature stands there, just staring at me. Sneering smile mocking and optics...hollow? No. They were red, I'm sure they were. But...there's nothing there now, no red or blue optics. Just darkness. He takes a breath and...

"~I'll ask now~" he sniggers, grinning as if he knows something I don't.

If this conversation has taught me one thing, it's that, that theory is probably correct.

"Alright," I manage, by some miracle, to keep my calm attitude even after everything that's happened so far, "ask away."

"~Do you know if we're in my processor, or your processor?" His optics widen as he bites down on his lower lip, frame twitching with repressed laughter.

"Yours," I huff, finally, a stupid question, "the psychic patch may be a two way link, but the two connecting can only meet in one mind. It doesn't matter whose processor they meet in, both can still share memories. Although this current link was randomised due to the hasty set up, it was just chance that it chose yours." 

"~Tsk, tsk, tsk~" the creature giggles, waving a digit at me, "~you should've chosen to meet in your processor!~"

"And why is..." Wait...I'm in the virus filled processor of an unstable, insane mech.

I can almost see Knock Out face-palming while muttering 'I told you so, I told you this was a bad idea'.

"~HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~" Spawn falls back, frame shaking violently with laughter, "~Silly, silly mech, now you're like a Terbofox in a magnet trap!~"

"Stop!" I snarl causing his helm to snap up to look at me, optic sockets fixed on me as he continues to snigger, frame spamming and twitching on the ground, "It's my turn to ask a question."

"~Ask, ask aaasssssahahahahaha~" he manages to get out before falling into another fit of crazed cackles as he struggles to get up.

I falter, having no other questions. Hurry up Knock Out!

"~I'm waiting~" the disciple of Unicron giggles, sockets narrowing with suspicion.

I let my fear get the best of me, my processor immediately turns to the one mech who I know will protect me no matter what "...What did you do to Soundwave?"

 **"~Hacked his processor! I hacked the bastard's so called _impenetrable_ processor, took his biggest secret and used it against the fucker!~"** The virus shrieks with laughter, I flinch at its use of the organic terms as well as the insult aimed directly at my oldest and closest friend, "~So silent, so lifeless...So. Much. **Pain! I feast on pain! Soundwave is a smorgasbord of energy!~"**

"Stop it!" I snarl, "You can mock my past, bring my most painful memories back and sexually harass me for all I care! But, _don't_ insult my apprentice!"

"~Aww~" the mech smiles at me, looking almost humbled, "~That's so...~" he growls, a frown of disdain tattooing itself across his face, "~so disgusting. This is why I don't respect you, you _feel_ , it's sickening. You're the gladiator that started the biggest war in the history of Cybertron! For Pits sake, some orbital it might even rival the Time War between the Darleks and Timelords!~"

::He's rambling!:: I hear the medic cry out with joy, ::Next question is the one my liege!::

"Your turn," I struggle to contain my sigh of relief, processor games like this are definitely not my strong point.

"~Oh fine~" he huffs in annoyance, "~impatient bastard...hmm...let's see, how about one that'll give us a few good laughs. Would you frag Knock Out?~"

"I feel like there's an 'if' in there," I mutter.

"~Ok, _if_ he wasn't Bonded, would you frag him through the berth?~"

"First chance I'd get, I would," I can't help but chuckle at the in-comprehensive yelling coming from the medic and his mate, as well as Starscream's screeching laughter.

 **"~Finally! Something we agree on!~"** Spawn flings his arms in the air and laughs, vocaliser far deeper than before, **"~You, my good sir, just gained a bit of my respect!~"**

::Glad I could help:: said fraggable mech growls, ::please Lord Megatron, just ask him::

I open my mouth to ask my question, preparing to shower him with praise and con him into showing me the memory. But his soft, high pitched giggle stops me, opticless gaze burning into the core of my Spark. The frame before me twitches as it shifts, rapidly flickering into lines of purple code several times, then returning to its previous state. His helm snaps around to face the side, then it tilts and slowly turns to look at me. He parts his lips and slowly, hauntingly...sings...

**_Beware the darkness_ **  
**_Beware what lurks in the shadows_ **  
**_Beware whispers of temptation_ **  
**_He is Death and He is coming_ **  
**_Have confidence young one_ **  
**_Because He will pass, if you do_ **  
**_He feasts on fear and despair_ **  
**_Have courage young one_ **  
**_For He will starve, if you do_ **  
**_He shall be free when war calls_ **  
**_Bring peace young one_ **  
**_So He stays, locked away..._ **

**"~Hear me gladiator, hear the darkness, hear the temptation, hear Death...can you hear it...? I'm coming for you~"**

My vocaliser decides to forsaken me, the one moment that I truly need it.

::That flicker, he was...resetting... Confidence...courage...peace:: Knock Out mutters to himself, I listen to the soft tapping sound of his claws drumming on the console, something he does when he's on the verge of a brilliant idea, there's a cry of delight as he works it out, ::Emotions! It's not just a scary camp song or story my Lord! It's a message!::

"What are you saying?" I growl, hoping Unicron's creation will think I'm talking to him.

 **"~Shall I sing again?~"** he whispers, the temperature drops and I shudder, shaking my helm in a display of true fear.

::He may be the creation of a God, but he's still a virus! The anti-virus is in our emotional code, specifically the codes for courage, confidence and peace! If I do a quick search through White Dwarf's memory files for those codes and bundle them up, I can virtually throw them at this bastard! It wouldn't kill him, but it'll put him under for at least eight vorns!:: my CMO's vocaliser has never sounded sweeter as he laughs with joy, ::Give me a four kliks, and get that memory!::

 **"~Buzzing, why are you buzzing?~"** the virus growls to himself, hollow optic housings narrowing as his denta grind together, **"~Ask your question miner! Or be terminated~"**

He's changed...no he's chang _ing!_ His claws are longer, sharper, tips so fine that I can barely see them. I swear he was shorter too.

"...Why do you ask where the burning sparklings are?" Primus, I pray to you now that this is the correct one.

**"~...Because that was my victory, my rise to power, and they sang the trumpet fanfare...~"**

The darkness melts away, shifting and twisting around me, until I find myself standing in a room beside the virus. The scene before me is bright and cheerful, giggling younglings play on the floor with a ball. One of them rolls it to a Seeker...White Dwarf.

He looks so different, so happy, shimmering with love and filled with life. Nothing like the alcoholic, depressed, quiet Seeker I saw last night. He sits on the ground with his legs crossed as he rolls the ball to a little femme who squeals with happiness as she grabs it.

 **"~He loved them~"** the Spawn of Unicron whispers, face plates twisting with disgust, **"~Each of the Seekers were ordered to guard certain sectors of Praxus. Dwarf got the Daycare, which was joined to the orphanage. But he never stood guard outside, he played inside. The femmes who ran the facility told him he's a natural Sitter. He asked the hospital for the Sitter code, and during the operation the council of Praxus had connections to cameras that they placed outside the building installed, so he could do both jobs at once~"**

A mechling reaches for the Seeker, he smiles and picks up the young Praxian while being mindful of his developing doorwings, then places him on his lap so that they can roll the ball together.

The scene shifts again and this time it burns away. No, that's real fire! The orbital that Praxus was destroyed.

White Dwarf flies overhead, transforming and landing on the ground. His pedes hit the ground but he doesn't stop moving, running straight at the flames, crying out what I assume to be the names of the sparklings. Suddenly, he freezes.

With an Energon curdling scream the Seeker falls to his knees, coolant pours down his cheeks and he clutches his helm. I clench my denta and swallow, trying to not throw up at the sound, it rings in my audials as it fills my Spark to the brim with horror and grief. The scream only ends once he offlines, falling onto his side as the fire continues to consume everything.

 **"~Listen~"** the Spawn of Unicron growls, holding up a servo, reaching for the fire and using the claws on the other to tap his thigh in a rhythm that sounds like the drum beat of war, **"~Just listen~"**

Now I wish I could throw up, what I hear nearly brings me to my knees.

Sparklings. Screaming as the fire burns them alive.

The creature chuckles with sickening glee, **"~Some of the cameras were still working, the images were fuzzy, but he could see the pictures clearly. He saw them burning, heard them screaming, one wailed his name as it caught fire...and the scene broke him. All I had to do was slip through the cracks~"**

::I...got the...th-the code, and the...anti-virus is...is ready:: the medic whispers, vocaliser cracking from withheld sobs.

_You always wanted a sparkling Knock Out, you begged me to reconsider my rule, but this is why I won't let you have one._

Rage, burning brighter than the fire before me, suddenly replaces my shock, I glare at the monster beside me and smirk with triumph, "...Make him bleed."

The One-Third hisses, ::With. Pleasure::

The dark plain returns as the virus falls on his servos and knees, back arching as he retches.

 **"~You...tricked...me~"** he coughs, giving another dry retch.

"Yes," I look down at him, feeling smug and victorious, "I tricked the Spawn of Unicron."

His frame heaves, wings shuddering, claws digging into the ground as he continues to cough and retch.

He sits up, arms spread to the sides, flinging his helm back and screaming at the darkness.

Wings shift, twisting as they lengthen and widen. They arch up and spread wide as they melt, no, morph into organic wings. Blacker than the ground his lengthening claws scratch at and covered in silky, shimmering feathers, edges tinted with deep purple. He screams again as his entire frame darkens and a line of spikes rip out of his spine plating. Two horns break through the sides of his helm, just above his audials and the scream becomes a bellowing roar of rage. His denta grow as purple fire erupts from his mouth.

Something flicks behind him. A tail. Three espe long and covered in ebony scales, purple liquid dripping from the tip of the barbed end. With a shuddered groan the beast pulls himself to his pedes just as four claws slowly push out from the tips of them. He doubles over, wings drape across the ground, each one at least thirty espe long and his long clawed servos hang limp as his back heaves again. He shudders, then sniggers.

The creature straightens, flinging his helm back and spreading his thin arms wide as he screams with laughter. The black wings lift and arch towards the ceiling, stretching to their full length as their owner roars with pride at the sight of them. His jaw drops in an open mouthed sneer and a long, double tipped glossa flicks across the serrated upper denta. The glowing, black, opticless gaze stares at me. His frame towering above mine by seven espe.

This is the true opponent of the Thirteen, the true Chaos Bringer and the thing responsible for spreading evil throughout Cybertron since its first dawn.

 _This_ is the Spawn of Unicron.

 **"That just made me angry!"** The beast roars, feathers puffing out in rage and scales rippling down his tail.

"Knock Out!" I take a step back and give a threatened growl, "What happened?!"

::He's blocking it, but it's hammering through the firewalls my liege, just hold on::

 **"Knock Out..."** Spawn's whisper is colder than the air as steam puffs from his mouth with each word, **"such a beautiful creation...the very embodiment of temptation, Primus thinks that One-Thirds are completely of his design. But you, medic, are proof of my influence on your specie's genetics,"** he licks his scarred lips and purrs, **"Decepticons. You may bury me today, but mark my words, I'll dig out, and I'll kill you...I curse this ship!"** He laughs, flames flickering in the back of his throat, **"The first two newsparks are mine, I'll break you all as I break them!"**

The ground shakes and he stumbles forward a step.

 **"Can't stop it,"** he hisses as a glowing, white line of code slashes his right shoulder, **"...just like how you can't stop me!"**

Another shake.

 **"Sweet...little...Knock Out,"** he purrs, peeling his lips back to sneer and lick his denta again, **"yours will the first to die...then I shall claim yours, D-Sixteen!"**

Light envelops the black plain, the last thing I hear is the Spawn of Unicron scream as it consumes his entire frame.

Then everything becomes still as darkness silently crashes down on me.

**********

"Lord Megatron."

Shut up Starscream...

"Lord Megatron!"

I said shut up, I've got a massive helm ache right now and an itching fist with your name on it!

There's a loud bang followed by a clatter and a series of jittery chirps.

"White Dwarf! No, stop! Down! No, um...sit!" Knock Out yells, but the clatter and chirps only grow louder.

With a tired groan I slowly sit up and online my optics, my frame feels heavier than a mountain as I struggle to stay upright.

"Nononononononono!" Something white and lightening fast leaps over my chassis then scuttles behind the console, "away, go, shoo, leave! Hurt, can't!"

I look at Knock Out and frown, waiting patiently for an explanation.

"I undid the cuffs," the grounder mutters, "big mistake."

"Come 'ere little fella," Breakdown beckons to the huddling Seeker, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Nonononono!" Dwarf whines as he wraps his arms around himself, "no hurt me, me hurt you!"

"Hey!" Knock Out holds out a cube of Energon to the shuddering mech, "Have you ever tried Vos Energon?"

"Where did you get that?" Starscream snarls.

The medic just chuckles, "Your stash isn't hidden very well Commander."

The ex-hacker whimpers but shuffles over a little on his aft, leaning towards the cube and sniffing it. He lunges, snatching the Energon and downing it in one go.

"I made some Energon goodies with some of that," my CMO smiles and holds out a servo for the mech, "but I forgot where I put them, if you help me find them then you can have some."

"White Dwarf: not an idiot," the Seeker throws the empty cube at him, but it misses and he scurries beneath the berth I'm laying on as Starscream laughs at the red mech.

"No, you're not," I mutter, listening to the rattling frame of the frightened mech, "Because you were speaking during the Patch, weren't you?"

"How?" He whispers, the tip of his black fin pokes out from under the berth.

"The virus's vocaliser was deep and rough, but it was higher for most of the time," I look down as he moves his helm out a little more and looks up at me, "it was like yours, you were both speaking."

"That was a presence my liege," Knock Out shakes his helm, "the deeper Spawn spoke, the farther away White Dwarf was. He had no control."

"Then how could a creature, consumed by hatred for everything in existence, speak so highly of Moonbeam?" I raise an optic ridge at the grounder, who fumbles for an answer, then I look back at the mech staring up at me, "I've seen how your siblings care for one another, and how you begged Moonbeam to help you. But I must ask, why her?"

"She..." White Dwarf bites his lip for a moment, "she never gave up on me, she tried to help me train even after Praxus was nothing but a pile of ash. She carried me when I couldn't concentrate on walking because I was fighting so hard. I knew she'd help me."

"Well," I huff and look up at my CMO, "Knock Out is going to help you now."

"Lies!" The Seeker darts back under the berth and snarls, "Lies! Just like how the medics in Iacon said there was nothing wrong with me, but I saw the fear in their optics! Just like how the caretakers said I'd keep the sparklings safe! ...I..." I flinch as a pitiful sob echoes in the silent medical bay, "burned...they...I...weak...idiot..."

"Seven."

"...What?" White Dwarf pokes his helm out a bit and stares at Knock Out.

"If you keep thinking like that then the virus will stay away for seven vorns, not eight," the grounder explains, "confidence and courage kicks his aft. Keep thinking those thoughts and I'll have more time to unravel his code," he gives the Seeker a dark smile, "then we'll see how he likes being torn apart."

"You'll...you'll help me?" the ex-hacker pulls himself out from under the berth, kneeling with his servos on his knees and looking up at Knock Out with bright blue, hopeful optics.

"This project is too big and important for Hook to deal with," the vain mech huffs and smirks, "I promise, I'll cure you."

"Thank y-" the little Seeker sobs and chirps something, flinging his arms around Knock Out's neck.

"Um...Starscream, translation?" The medic looks at my Second helplessly as he returns the hug with an awkward smile.

The older Seeker sighs, "I'll give you an exact translation: The Autobots never even tried to help me, they were too afraid of the code. You're the bravest medic I've ever met and I'm forever in you dept."

"Ohh," the grounder chuckles and grasps White Dwarf's shoulders, holding him out at arms length, "I like this side of him much more than the other."

White Dwarf smiles as he chirps again, my CMO looks at Starscream hopefully.

"'Knock Out, friend?'" The Air Commander chuckles.

"Aww, now how can I say no," Knock Out returns the grin.

"I c-can erase all re-records of...of D-Sixteen as thanks for your help," the little Seeker grins, blinking tears of happiness away and flicking his data cables out to show what he means.

"I'll have to give you a rain check young one," I smile, yes, this side of him is like the opposite side of a credit compared to the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the Spawn of Unicron...that's the child of the darkest, sickest part of my mind, and I only half regret making him. I imagine that he'd inflict the fear of Darth Vader, have the power of Galactus (for those that don't know, he's one of Marvel's greatest super villains and _eats planets for lunch_ ), have the sanity of the Joker and the voice of Sauron (for those who aren't elves or don't know Middle-Earth, he's the creator of the One Ring...still have a blank face? Ok, he's the fiery red/orange eye at the top of the tower. Yes, he barely spoke in the Lord of the Rings, but when he did he had the deepest voice ever. So deep that it put Darth Vader to shame, in my books that is).
> 
> Also, I'm slow at writing chapters, so it'll be slow updates from now on, sorry :( blame my short attention span from my ADD, it's not bad, just annoying because I can't control it.


	4. Old Scars Reopened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ****
> 
> **Tip toe carefully with your words**   
>  **For any one of them could hurt**   
>  **You could snap me back unintentionally**   
>  **Back to a time best left in the past**   
>  **A time that made these internal scars**   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH!!! KNOCK OUT MY BISHY!!! Your chapter is finally here!
> 
> Also, I made Red Giant act like a dick on purpose for two reasons, 1. to prove that I don't baby my fan-characters (I make them suffer just as much as the canon-characters) and 2. character development.

~Knock Out's POV~

"Ow!"

"Sorry sis, but we've gotta stretch your wires, or you'll hurt yourself while we're training," Solarflare leans back to avoid the unrestrained leg that's lashing out at her, then continues to help Moonbeam stretch her mended hip, "Red, be a dear and hold that down will ya!"

"Glitch!" the eldest femme shrieks as her SIC stretches her leg a little too far, she snarls and tries to kick again, but her brother's grip on her good leg is too strong.

"Now, now sis," Nebula chuckles as she scrolls through a data pad, "no need for that."

I chuckle and make my way over to where Lord Megatron, Breakdown, Starscream and White Dwarf are sitting in the stands. The white Seeker sits on the ground, watching his siblings preparing themselves for an orbital of training and sparing in the Arena. It was only two orbitals ago that it was fixed, took the Worker-Drones about an orn and a half to do it, Breakdown was in here most of the time helping them. I guess that, while he doesn't miss being a Wrecker, he still misses the time he worked in construction. Speaking of which...

"Here you are," I dump the tool kit along with some broken, spare Vehicon parts next to White Dwarf.

He yelps, flinching at the sudden, loud clatter and the other mechs turn to stare at me questioningly.

"Knock Out...why do you have those here?" My mate frowns with confusion.

"Rehabilitation," I say with the simplest tone possible, the ex-Wrecker's optic widens in realisation while everyone else continues to stare at me with blank expressions. Primus, I have to spell out everything to these warriors! "I've noticed that White Dwarf's not moving right. Just last orbital I saw that he had to get Nebula to help him drink his Energon because he couldn't hold the cube. I asked why, he told me that only one-quarter of his processor was aware of his surroundings and the rest was always fighting for control over his frame with the virus. That's why violence gave that beast the reins, the unexpected hit shook a lot of his receptors, which in turn broke his concentration and thereby his control."

"...That still doesn't explain why you've got broken Vehicon parts here," Starscream growls.

I rub my brow in frustration, oh why? Just why me? "White Dwarf needs to regain his motor control skills, all he has to do is sit here and fix the spare parts so that I can use them later. Raid Season is coming up any orn now and that means I'll need them soon anyway. He needs the rehab, I need the parts, everyone wins."

"What's this?" I turn around to see that White Dwarf has found the tool kit and has proceeded to tip the contents out during my rambling, he's now holding up a very dented, very old, very familiar wrench.

"Oh..." How'd that get in there? "That...um...that's...just give it here!" I snap, Spark aching from the old memories that are surfacing, that's all he is to me now, a bunch of simple memories.

"I'm sorry," the Seeker whimpers, handing me the tool with a shaky servo.

"No it's...it's just that it belongs to an old work colleague of mine, an old friend," I stare at the tool-turned-weapon, sighing at the many fond experiences that it brings back.

"Who?" He looks up at me with adoring, inquisitive optics.

I smile at the curious mech, he wore that very same expression on the orbital he was born, "Ratchet, his name was Ratchet."

I shake my helm, brushing the old memories of my mentor and previous boss away, returning myself to the present. White Dwarf continues to stare up at me patiently, with a sigh I subspace the old memory-trigger and sit on the ground beside him.

"Can't catch me Moon!" Starhopper laughs as she races her sister around the perimeter of the Arena.

They're both using their skates to do laps of the training grounds, I watch Solarflare counts Moonbeam's laps while Nebula keeps track of Star's. The hexad leader wears a determined expression as she tries to keep up with her speedy little sister, but her lame leg slows her down. I bite back a laugh as she tries to balance on her good leg, yet the lack of movement results in a loss of speed and the Seeker wobbles on her skate, then growls angrily as she's forced to used both pedes once more. Shaking my helm again I bring myself back to the task at servo.

"Right," I sigh, clapping my servos together, "let's get started."

"Um...Knock Out," White Dwarf mutters, looking at me with a lost expression, "why do you bother?"

"What do you mean?" I chuckle, trying so very hard to keep at least a faint smile on my face.

Please Dwarf, please don't go down this path. I know from personal experience that no good can come from falling deeper into the darkness, that allowing yourself to fall is just plain cowardly. Because in the end, it'll consume you and every little hint of light that enters your life will be snuffed out.

"The virus is going to come back," he whimpers, staring at his servos, optics void of any hint of hope, "Why waste your time with me if it's gonna come back in the end?"

"White Dwarf, look at me," I grab his shoulder and he stares at me with a startled expression, "Confidence beats this bastard back, the more you accomplish, the more of it you get and the more time I have to decode that fragger. I need you to work with me on this, because I can't help you if you don't help me. Understand?"

"O-...okay then."

I smile, "Good, then let's get started," I pick up a Vehicon part and show it to him, "Know what this is?"

"A T-Cog?" He mutters, more to himself than to me.

I nod, giving him an encouraging look, "Do you know what it does?"

"It allows a Cybertronian to transform," there's a glint of hope in his optics.

I latch onto that glint and exploit it for all it's worth, "Good job, straight A's Dwarf! Can you see what's wrong with it?"

"Um..." he frowns, expression blank as he stares at the part, "...It's...uh..."

"Hold it," the ex-hacker cups his shaking servos and I place the T-Cog in them, "take your time."

I watch, my Spark swelling with pride and hope as he stares intensely at the part, turning it over on his twitching servos. I made sure that I brought the easy stuff with me, all these spare, broken parts have obvious malfunctions. Some of them I even tinkered with just so that they'd need fixing. This T-Cog is the easiest one, even Steve saw what was wrong with it.

"It's...it's...um...ah!" With a loud clatter the part slips out of his shaking grasp and rolls till it bumps my left pede, White Dwarf bites his claws as he whimpers, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, stop," I grab his wrists and pull his digits out of his mouth, "it's okay, just take it easy."

"I-I can't see w-what's wrong," he whines, optics wide with fright.

"Here, let me show you," I pick up the T-Cog and point to a small hole, "it's got a bolt missing."

A dumbfounded expression stares at me, "...Oh," he blinks and frowns at the part, "can't it work without the bolt?"

"Yes," I chuckle, "for half a klik, then the other bolts will slowly come lose and it'll fall apart."

_You say that I'm messin' with your head_  
_All 'cause I was making out with your friend_

His helm snaps up and he stares down at his siblings. I watch Nebula set her data pad down against the wall.

_Love hurts whether it's right or wrong_  
_I can't stop, 'cause I'm having too much fun_

"Now for some motivation!" She shrieks with delight and does a spontaneous backflip.

_You're on your knees, beggin' please "stay with me"_  
_But honestly, I just need to be a little crazy_

The femme laughs and stands on one spot, crossing her ankles then immediately switching them around, repeating the move several times before doing a cartwheel. The Seeker darts about, flipping and kicking to the beat of the music in an amazing display of flexibility.

_All my life I've been good but now_  
_Ooohhh_  
_I'm thinking "What the hell?"_  
_All I want is to mess around, and I don't really care about_

Megatron smirks and chuckles as he nudges Starscream's side, "How come you're not that flexible?"

"...Shut up."

_Clang_

"Ow! Don't do that!"

"Then don't tell me to shut up," the warlord huffs.

_If you love me, if you hate me_  
_You can't save me, baby, baby_  
_All my life I've been good but now whoa "What the hell?"_

White Dwarf grins, bouncing up and down as he watches his sisters dance about the Arena.

_What, What, What, What the hell?_

I notice Red Giant leaning on the wall, arms crossed as he frowns at his four siblings. _Probably thinks he's too cool for all this, although it's quite odd. It's instinctive for Seekers to dance together, since they're very expressive creatures. Then again, he was raised by grounders._ I roll my optics and sigh.

_So what if I go out on a million dates?_  
_You never call or listen to me anyway_

The little mech suddenly does something astonishing. He leaps up and onto the wall, perches on one of the wall spikes and uses it to jump onto the Arena floor.

_I'd rather rage than sit around and wait all day_  
_Don't get me wrong, I just need some time to play_

Moonbeam and Starhopper shriek with delight, they rush over to him and grab one servo each, he grins back while giggling with glee. They laugh in a way that's nothing short of pure joy as they help him to do a front-flip.

_You're on your knees, beggin' please "stay with me"_  
_But honestly, I just need to be a little crazy_

"C'mon down Screamy," Solarflare coos and shakes her aft in the Prince's direction, "dance like a good little Seeker!"

"No," Starscream huffs and turns away, "it's a sparkling thing."

"Aww, is the little sparkling having a temper tantrum?" Nebula laughs.

_All my life I've been good but now_  
_Ooohhh_  
_I'm thinking "What the hell?"_

Moonbeam runs towards the wall, leaping at it pedes first and kicks off the curved surface, doing a backflip. She lands on her servos, pushes up and lands on her pedes, then proceeds to keep on going back.

_All I want is to mess around, and I don't really care about_  
_If you love me, if you hate me_  
_You can't save me, baby, baby_  
_All my life I've been good but now whoa "What the hell?"_

The eldest Seeker finally stops on her pedes in the middle of the Arena and falls back with her arms outstretched. Solarflare catches one servo and Nebula catches the other, they pull her up so that she does a servostand on their palms.

_La la la la la la la la whoa whoa_

The hexad-leader pushes off her sisters and twists around, landing on their palms again so that she's facing the others and me.

"Get your afts over here!" Solarflare calls to her youngest brother and sister.

_You say that I'm messing with your head_  
_Boy, I like messing in your bed_  
_Yeah, I am messing with your head_  
_When I'm messing with you in_

Moonbeam puts her pedes firmly together as Starhopper runs at Nebula, who grabs her wrist and hauls her up, the youngest aims to stand on her eldest sister's pedes. But the angle isn't right. Oh sweet Primus, they're gonna crash!

_All my life I've been good but now_  
_Ooohhh_  
_I'm thinking "What the hell?"_  
_All I want is to mess around, and I don't really care about_

With a bright, white flash of light Starhopper vanishes and immediately reappears, standing on Moonbeam's pedes. The white spotted femme flings her arms in the air and laughs triumphantly.

_All my life I've been good but now_  
_Ooohhh_  
_I'm thinking "What the hell?"_  
_All I want is to mess around, and I don't really care about_

White Dwarf runs at them then skids to a stop in front of the bottom Seekers. He reaches up with his data cables and Starhopper grabs them. The young mech then retracts them so that they act like winches. He comes face to face with Star and climbs onto her shoulders while she holds the data cables.

_If you love me, if you hate me_  
_You can't save me, baby, baby_  
_All my life I've been good but now whoa "What the hell?"_

Star pulls the cables behind her and crosses them over, Dwarf twists around and grins as his sister brings the data cables, now uncrossed because their owner turned around, back in front of herself.

_La la lalalalala la la lalalalala la la_

I leap up, clapping and laughing, "Bravo! Bravo!"

Now I know what he needs to speed up his rehabilitation. Music.

White Dwarf cries out as the music stops and he loses his concentration, his arms pinwheel back in a frantic attempt to regain his balance. He slips, accidentally kicking Starhopper's helm in the process. She yelps and let's go of his data cables to clutch her aching dent. I can do nothing but watch in horror as the ex-hacker begins his twenty espe fall to the ground.

With a bellowed roar and a monumental feat of speed, for a mech his size, Red Giant rockets forward on his skates. Instead of kissing the ground White Dwarf lands in his brother's arms with a loud _thunk _. The large Seeker snarls as his wheels slip, not used to the sudden burst of speed, and the additional weight doesn't help his predicament.__

Knowing that he can't save himself from falling, but that he can save White Dwarf, the crimson mech twists his frame around and lands on his shoulder then rolls onto his back. Red snarls again, his wings scraping on the ground as he skids back two espe. But his grip on his brother never relaxes for a moment.

"Red!" the younger mech immediately pushes the arms clutching him to the ground, he sits up and grabs his brother's shoulders, "Red, are you ok?!"

I run towards the staircase that leads to the Arena floor, "Slag it all!"

I dash out just in time to see Starhopper teleport off her siblings. Moonbeam flips back and her two other sisters follow her to their brothers.

"Red?" White Dwarf whines, shaking his brother's shoulders, "Please, say something!"

The red Seeker stares up at the ceiling, blue optics burning in an odd display of rage as his chassis heaves. Dwarf shakes him again and Red flinches, growling as his gaze snaps down to meet the little Seeker's.

"Dislocated. Shoulder," he pants out through clenched denta.

"Sorry!" The white mech yelps and nearly falls off his brother from the force of pulling his servos away.

"Get off," I snap at Dwarf and kneel down beside the injured Seeker.

The little mech does as I say and scrambles off, "I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean t-to fall. I'm s-so sorry Red."

"I am fine brother," the fire in Red Giant's optics vanishes as his tone changes to a much softer one, "I have endured far worse."

Before I can even think about helping him sit up he does it himself. Keeping his injured, right arm close to his side with the servo clutching the left side of his waist. He doesn't even growl as he slowly sits up, then using his good servo to keep his right arm still, he stands.

I get up and look at his height, frowning in annoyance, "Kneel or I can't reach your shoulder."

He just glares at me, grabs his dislocated shoulder, then with a grunt and a light flinch snaps it back into its socket.

"Well then...frag," I mutter, blinking like an complete glitch-helmed-idiot.

Red huffs, rolls his neck and shoulder, then walks very calmly towards the exit.

**********

~Hey, Knock Out~

I pause in the middle of the hallway, ~Yea Breaky?~

~I found out where Red Giant is, one of the Vehicons told me he's in the rec. room~

~Thanks love~ I turn on my heels and head straight for the Seeker's location.

~You sure you want me to come, he really doesn't like company~ Breakdown mutters through our Bond, sounding very suspicious.

~I'm sure, I have some idea of why he's so antisocial and you're the perfect shield if he gets mad at me for asking~ I laugh at the unimpressed feelings I get from him.

As I walk into the room I immediately have to sidestep to avoid the three dozen Vehicons leaving to start their shift. Good timing I guess, with less mechs in the room Red Giant will probably be more relaxed and cooperative. It's not hard to spot him, since his red finish sticks out from the black to dark grey room like a flame in a cave. The bomb-specialist doesn't look up from his data pad as I approach his table, but he does give a low growl of warning when I pull up a chair beside him.

"Do not dare to ask if I mind you sitting there," he mutters, optics sharper than his tone as he closes whatever he was looking at on the data pad, "because my answer shall be a firm 'no', followed by a possible punch, depending on how fast you can run away."

Alright then...not relaxed in the slightest, "Well...you see...I just wanted to ask how your-"

"My shoulder is fine," he huffs, glaring at me from the corner of his optic.

"...Ok, I'm out of icebreakers then," I sigh and slump back in my chair as I cross my arms in annoyance.

"...What is...ice?"

I open my mouth to answer, but I'm saved from the awkward conversation by the arrival of my mate, "Ah, Breakdown!" I grin, beckoning him over with a pleading look in my optics, "Come over and pull up a chair love!"

Red growls as Breakdown sits beside me, "This is clearly an intervention of sorts."

Smart slagger, "Actually, yes."

He frowns and subspaces his data pad, "What is it then?"

"I just wanted to help with your...um..." Hmm...how to say this without getting punched in the face? Why do I never think these things through?

"My lack of emotions," he finally turns his helm to look right at my optics, "it is not a medical condition, if that is what you are implying."

I start to do what I always do when I'm working while nervous, I use my servos to gesture, using one to indicate to him first of all, "Well actually medical conditions, as you put it, aren't just physical. They can be mental and emotion-"

I flinch at the sudden sting that I get from biting my lip to stop myself, but it only makes the situation even worse.

Piercing blue optics narrow, glaring into my very Spark as he growls, "You should do a wise thing and be extremely careful, medic. While I am in the presence of my Commander I am able to tolerate you, but I shall make it very clear here and now: I do not like you. The only reason you are still sitting there is because you are helping my brother, who is the closest member of my family that I have. However, there are other medics on this ship, and so that means that you are expendable."

Breakdown lets out a deep, rumbling growl as he goes to stand, he's half way there when I quickly spin around and grab his arm, ~Easy there Breaky, I think I see where the problem is~

~Then get to it before I slag him~ the ex-Wrecker growls and grinds his denta as he sits back down.

"Why don't you dance?" I turn back to smirk at Red Giant and cross my arms, "It's part of Seeker custom to dance with members of the family, or even just their friends, dancing alone is acceptable too. It's to create a stronger bond in a family and let out their emotions. Yet you don't, even though you have so much anger built up inside."

The rage vanishes from his face, leaving it blank as he looks away, facial features twitching as he tries to show his undecided emotion, "...I do not...it is not in my programming to partake in such activities of leisure."

My mate growls again, this time in confusion, ~Programming? So he's a drone?~

~No~ I place my elbows on the table, link my digits together and rest my chin on them, ~Think genetics~

~...One-Third? He could've got it from Magnus~

I bite back my laughter, ~Primus no! You've seen me dance, I don't give a damn about what anyone watching thinks of me, yet clearly he does. But you're close, think more about his Sire~

~...Gladiator code!~

~We have a winner!~

"If you are finished with your Bond conversation, can we continue with our verbal one so that I may leave?" The Seeker huffs.

"Do you have a Master, oh great and beginner gladiator?" I chuckle as his helm snaps around and he stares at me with wide optics.

"How?"

I sigh, Primus I hate listing symptoms, it's so tedious. Why can't patients just look them up or medics could simply pass them a data pad with a previously made list? "You've got anger issues and you're also a perfect solider. Then there's the fact that you don't have any opinions, you never question your superiors and, well frankly, the broad frame is a real give away since you're a Seeker."

"...And you did a scan."

"No," I raise an optic ridge, trying to hide the dread that's building up in my Spark, "why would you say that?"

"I do not mean that you scanned me for the code during my first orbital on the Nemesis," the red Seeker mutters, "it is compulsory to scan the processor of a newborn sparkling," he growls at my startled expression, "You claim that I have no opinions, medic. Then allow me challenge your claim with this: my opinion is that your performance as a doctor that orbital could have been better, much better."

I bite my lip as regret wells up in my Spark and sits itself beside the dread, "...I'm sorry, I...I tried t-"

"You did not try hard enough!" He snaps, slamming a fist on the table as he glares at me like Lord Megatron would glare at a disrespectful underling, right before punching them across the room, "Even though you only just got your full certificate, you are a One-Third, so you should have known that the first feeding creates the foundation of a Carrier-Creation Bond! Without it, there can be no Bond between them! Thereby, it is obvious that a newborn sparkling should not feed from a wet nurse!"

"I know," I clench my fists against my knees and shudder, "and I'm trying really hard to make it up to-"

"To White Dwarf," Red Giant hisses, "well, he may forgive you, my sisters may forgive you, but you shall have to work extremely hard for my forgiveness!"

He hauls himself to his pedes and storms towards the exit. My Spark leaps with horror at the familiar sound of a pair of vocalisers coming from the hallway the Seeker is heading towards. In his fury Red Giant doesn't pay attention to where he's going and bangs his forehelm against a large, blue chassis.

"Watch where you're going young one," Dreadwing growls at the young gladiator.

"Move aside," Skyquake snarls.

~Oh frag~ I look at Breakdown and he looks back at me with the same horrified expression.

~Not good~ his optics dart back to the three large Seekers, ~Don't you dare try and get between them, I'll handle it~

"Move," Red Giant hisses at the twins.

They puff out their chassises and growl down at him, both of the Elite Seekers are at least an espe and a half taller than Red. But even though he's used to looking down on his five siblings, he doesn't seem at all intimidated by the older, larger mechs. Yet another symptom of the Gladiator code: you never back down from a fight, especially when your opponent is bigger than you.

"No," Skyquake pushes forward, making an attempt at using his elbow to shove Red onto his aft.

Quicker than lightening the crimson Seeker grabs the offending arm in an iron grip, he clenches his other servo into a fist and delivers an uppercut to the green mech's exposed side. Red removes his servo, the knuckles of his digits dripping with Energon. Skyquake cries out and doubles over, clutching his side as he falls to his knees.

"You insignificant little worm!" Dreadwing roars, claws streaching back to grab his gun.

But the younger mech is too fast, he lunges at the Elite Seeker with his servos outstretched and pushes him to the ground, their helms narrowly missing the edge of a table.

"We shall see who is insignificant after I have sent you to the scrapyard!" Red Giant hisses as he slams a fist into the side of the blue mech's face.

_Do something Knock Out! Stop staring, stop staring, stop st- Oh Primus this is hot! Damn you, you big, strong, masculine Seekers!_

Skyquake manages to push himself up and kick Red off his twin, before clutching his shallow wound once more. The younger mech goes to pin Dreadwing yet again. Breakdown dives into the fray, coming up behind the red mech and wrapping his arms around the bomb-specialist's waist, then hauling him off his pedes.

"Easy there!" my mate snarls as the Seeker screeches with rage at the surprise attack.

Red Giant kicks back with both pedes, his heels press against Breakdown's shins and pushes his upper frame forward slightly. Then he slams back into the blue bruiser's chassis and they both topple backwards in the struggle. It's not hot anymore, it's terrifying. The twins are the strongest warriors from Starscream's army and if Red can toss them aside so easily, what's stopping him from going on a warpath? Apparently Breakdown, one of the original three Wreckers, can't stop him.

_Get some fragging help already!_

::Lord Megatron:: wait, no, why him? Idiot!

::Knock Out, it had better be an emergency:: the warlord growls in reply.

::I...um...::

::Spit. It. Out!::

::You're needed in the rec. room my Lord:: the words fall out of my mouth on their own accord as I watch Red Giant almost succeed in tearing Skyquake's wings off.

::What's the problem?::

Optics, oh Primus, Red's optics!

::Red Giant is taking after his Sire, my liege!:: his optics, they're no longer blue; they're the deep crimson of an Energon thirsty gladiator, out to get the Sparks of his opponents by any means necessary.

::What?::

::Gladiator code!::

::Scrap::

With a roar that could rival that of a Predacon, the enraged Seeker snaps. He spins around and kicks Breakdown in the jaw. He keeps spinning till his fist connects with Skyquake's helm. Red doesn't even pause, immediately leaping at Dreadwing so that they both crash to the floor, then proceeding to try and punch him through the ground.

_Clang_

My audials ring with the sound of my mate's hammer connecting with the red mech's helm. The Seeker staggers off of Dreadwing, shaking his helm as his optics flicker from red to blue and back again. He falls to his knees, clutching his helm as he hisses, frame rattling as he shudders and growls. After several deep breaths the Seeker stops shivering. Red's entire frame twitches all over in small spasms, he grits his denta and snarls at the ground as his wings slowly lower into a more relaxed position.

"You wish to know why I do not mingle like a common Seeker, Knock Out?" he growls, but doesn't look up at me, "This is why."

He slowly gets up and his pedes drag him to the exit, the Seeker keeps his helm down and pushes past a very confused Lord Megatron on his way out.

"Knocks?" Breakdown mutters as he looks at my quivering frame with a great amount of concern, "You alright?"

"I...I...y-yea," no, not alright in the slightest.

**********

Hook noticed my twiches and shudders, he said that after the fight I wasn't fit for duty, that he was worried I'd have another one of my "episodes". So now I'm stuck in my own medical bay while the old wind-bag is in his, fixing the twin Elite Seekers while the rest of the Constructicons are hunting for Red Giant. The crane didn't say anything about research though.

I frown as I stare at the screen, the code that makes up the Spawn of Unicron is ancient, made from the glyphs that Unicron littered over the surface of Cybertron during his battle with Primus. There's only two glyphs that I know and altogether the Constructicons know three, Soundwave only knows four of the ones that us medics already do. He's too busy keeping the ship running smoothly to help anyway. I sigh and click my claws on the console, what I have is a start I guess.

_"This is why."_

With a growl I clutch my helm and lean back in my chair. Is it Red? Is that the only reason? Or am I just thinking too deeply on this one?

I need to recharge, that's what's wrong, my processor keeps on wandering because I'm tired. It's not because Red's condition bothers me, nope, nor did his outburst freak me out for that matter. With a soft yawn I turn the console off and cross my arms over it, nuzzling into the crook of my arms as I lean forward in my chair. Just gonna offline my optics for a breem or two, I hum wearily as my frame slowly gives in to the need to recharge.

_..._

_Servos pressing and prodding everywhere, clawing at my precious finish._

_"Stupid, little piece of slag!"_

_"Such a pretty finish, shame it's all scratched now."_

_"Worthless pleasure drone!"_

_Knock..._

_No! Not there! That's only for my mate to see! No, you can't touch! Please! Only he's allowed to touch me there!_

_"C'mon my lovely little cherry, open those gorgeous legs."_

_"What a sweet slut, already nice and wet for us."_

_"That's it you damn glitch, suck it like the whore you are!"_

_Knock Out..._

_Breakdown, I'm so sorry...I...I just can't...my frame...it's a traitor to my Spark..._

_"Oh, what lovely moans you make, you like it there don't you?"_

_"There now little fragger, just a bit more and maybe we'll let you overload."_

_"We'll never stop, no matter how loud you cry, no matter how much you beg!"_

Something touches my shoulder, "Knock Out!"

With an audial splitting scream I bolt upright, whatever was touching my shoulder stops me from falling out of my chair. I whine and shiver, frame shaking with terror as tears that were welling up in my optics slowly begin their decent. Soft whimpers and sobs fall from my lips as I curl my arms around myself.

"Shh, it's okay love," strong, protective arms wrap around me and pull me to the broad, comforting frame, "it was just a nightmare, they're not here, it's okay."

My entire frame trembles against Breakdown's, with a pitiful sob I cling to him as he holds me close. He carries me to one of the medical berths and sits on it, gripping me in a tender hold, gently pulsing loving emotions through our Bond as his comforting EM field brushes against mine.

"Everywhere," I finally sob against his chassis after a few kliks, he shifts his grip so that he can offer me a servo, I only hesitate for a moment before taking it with both of mine, "they had me...they were...I was...I could feel...everywhere..."

"I know," Breakdown whispers and nuzzles my helm fin as he sighs, there's a flash of anger in his field, but it vanishes quicker than it appeared.

"I-I'm so, so sorry," his anger is aimed at me, I just know it is, "I couldn't st-stop them, I tried to-to fight but-"

"No," he mummers, tone gentle yet firm at the same time, he continues, but the firm edge leaves his vocaliser, "no, no, no, Knock Out. No. Don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault, and don't ever think that I blame you for what happened," he sighs, "Somehow, I knew that the scuffle in the rec. room would get you worked up like this, I just didn't think it'd happen so fast."

"I'm weak, that's why-"

"No," he growls, clinging to me as if my attackers are right in front of us, holding me, pressing his arms against my frame in a way that it seems like I'll fade into nothing at any moment. The ex-Wrecker shivers with a mixture of rage and anguish for a bit, then relaxes as he places a soft kiss on my forehelm, "Where'd they touch?"

"...Everywhere..." I whine, clutching his servo and pressing my helm against his lips, "Please...make it go away..."

"You sure?"

"Please."

With a gentle hum he rearranges me so that I'm sitting on his lap and lies back on the berth to bring my optics level with his. I sigh and drape my arms over my mate's shoulders.

I let out a shuddered gasp as a servo runs down my back, "Door?"

"Locked it when you-" he bites his lip, but forces a smile, "when you were recharging."

"...Thank you."

"Anytime love," he mummers, "Everywhere?"

I whimper and try to press my thighs together, but he stops me with a light touch to my knee. I look at him, at his optic, reminding myself that who I'm with won't hurt me. Can't hurt me, because his love for me isn't some sick and twisted need, it's real. It always has been.

"Just the waist and above?"

I nod.

**********

I quiver and curl up on my mate's chassis. His gentle servo runs down my back and stops just at my waist before repeating the motion; eradicating the last of the past's ghost-like touches. My breath is shaky, but at least it's not thick and laboured like before, the tears have stopped too. The ex-Wrecker gives a deep, rumbling purr, a noise that he saves for our times alone, and nuzzles up to my fin. I lift my helm and can't stop the faint smile from crossing my lips at the sight of the tender expression looking at me.

"You okay now?" Breakdown mummers, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Yea," I sigh, pressing myself closer to him as I shake with repressed whimpers.

_I'm not okay, not in any sense of the word, I just can't say it out loud. Because if I do, it'll all come crashing down on me again._

But he knows, even though he doesn't hear me say it and even though he doesn't feel it in my taunt field or rejecting Spark, he just knows. He doesn't have to look through our Bond, even though it's an Intended one and thereby can't be closed off, my mate just knows. The large mech smiles, pulling me into a tight embrace and brushing his lips against mine. He knows that I'll never truly be okay, but he tries so very hard to get me through each orbital; and I know that as long as his Spark is shining, he'll never stop trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You do not, I repeat: DO NOT know how much I had to listen to happy love songs while writing the second part and onwards! And that after I completed this chapter I spent TEN minutes rocking back and forth crying while sobbing: "I'm sorry Knocky, I'm so sorry my gorgeous, sexy Aston Martin...why did I do this to my bishy?! WHHHYYYYYYY?!"
> 
> WHY?! Because I've seen a fair few fics where Knock Out gets raped! That's why! But they are either one-shots, unfinished (updated 1-3 years ago, and thereby possibly on an unannounced-permanent-hiatus) or they continue, but have Knock Out brush it off like it was nothing for the rest of the story! I'm not a rape victim, nor is anyone close to me, but I studied Rape Trauma for the non-con idea (the sick and happy feels parts of my mind got bored of the WWIII thing and had a truce, leaving me to decide if I should have non-con or not on my own). So when I read how much help the victims get from their loved ones, among many different kinds of feels-worthy situations, I was pissed at the other writers. There is so much potential for character development, as well as story progression post-rape and these writers add it for the twisted sex! No means no, and I say NO to this plot idea of theirs! This is my way of fixing it...and giving myself unintended feels in the process *sigh* we all have to make sacrifices I guess.
> 
> So, lesson for today? Do your research if you've never experienced what you're writing!


	5. Deadly Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Step on me if you dare, oh "great" and "powerful" mech**   
>  **I may be dainty, I may be a small**   
>  **But I am by no means weak, nor am I a toy made to please you**   
>  **My voice is thunder, my Spark and will are diamond**   
>  **So step on me if you dare, for soon it shall be I who walks on you**   
> 

~Megatron's POV~

Intensive training, Moonbeam said. It'll be good for us to let off some steam, especially after the incident with Red Giant, Skyquake and Dreadwing, she said.

I really didn't think anything of it, so I said yes.

But then Nebula decided to tell the entire crew about it. Soundwave has been frantic for the past three orbitals, trying to clear the roster enough so that there's only the bare minimum of the crew on duty. Because whatever the Seeker femme told the Vehicons, it was exciting enough for them to beg Starscream, then me and finally Soundwave to let all of them watch. My poor apprentice got two glitches and a horrible helm ache from trying to redo the entire roster at such short notice, the second glitch had him in Hook's medical bay for a joor. Yet as I look at the training grounds, I can't help but feel slightly nostalgic.

Every seat is filled, some mechs even sit on the lap of a close comrade. I lean back in my seat and sigh at the sight, the Arena completely packed, just like the gladiator arenas in Kaon. I still remember the match where I faced Soundwave, bots were even sitting on the edge of the walls at the top and bottom of the stands. They'd called it the match of the decavorn, which had lasted three groon, it ended with the Target Master falling to his knees and bowing his helm as he accepted his fate. But I denied the crowd's cheers for death, I pulled him to his pedes and shook his servo, the crowd roared with delight. Then Soundwave had collapsed against my chassis and I carried him to the medical bay.

Good times.

I watch the four Seekers stretch their limbs, with Moonbeam standing in the middle of the Arena floor, her optics offline and her frame relaxed. White Dwarf grins as he bounces up and down on Breakdown's knee, Knock Out sits on his mate's other leg, chuckling with the little Seeker. The pale mech gasps as Red Giant waves up to him, the large Seeker gives his brother a thumbs up as he nods.

"Ready, ready, ready!" White Dwarf shrieks, wings fluttering with excitement.

With a roar the crowd cheers, eager to see what the grounder raised fliers have to show them.

"She needs quiet!" the little mech whines.

"Silence!" I bellow, and that's exactly what follows, I address the soldiers on the Arena floor, "If someone could tell us what you are planning on doing, I'd be grateful."

All the Seekers, apart from Moonbeam, look at Nebula, who's staring at Solarflare, "...Oh, slag it all!"

"But you explain it so well, dear sister," the fiery femme chuckles.

"Fine," the spy sighs and looks up at the crowd, "This is an exercise we've been practicing for vorns. Star, could you get the blindfold."

The youngest femme pulls a long strip of cloth out of her subspace and walks over to her Commander, then ties it around her helm so that it covers her optics.

"So," Nebula continues, "the exercise is designed to help us enhance the sensitivity of our audio receptors. One of us wears the blindfold and must concentrate on listening for the rest of us. We act as the enemy and have to try to take the blindfolded one down."

"How is this helpful?" Starscream huffs.

"Quiet," I hiss at him, unlike the Prince I can see the value in this sort of training.

"Imagine you're fighting a group of Autobots," Nebula sighs, "suddenly, all the lights are out and you can only see the glowing optics of your enemy. That means they can see yours, anyone can tell the difference between friend and foe because of the optic colour. But what if you off-lined your optics, they couldn't see you, yet you couldn't see them. This training exercise ensures that, in such a situation, you'll have the upperservo."

"But what if you're not the only Decepticon there?" someone calls out.

"That's another reason these exercises are good," Solarflare explains, "Red Giant has a larger engine compared to the rest of us, I have a heavier step than the rest of my sisters and Starhopper's frame sometimes makes involuntary squeaks when she teleports. This exercise helps you to learn the sound of your comrades."

"Moonbeam's meditating right now in order to enhance her focus, since the large crowd means there's hundreds of engines running right now," the spy mentions to her eldest sister.

I watch as the hexad leader's frame goes limp, her arms hang loosely by her sides and she leans forward a little, her knees buckle but remain steady.

"In this state," Nebula huffs, sounding a bit exhausted with all the explanations, "she can let her tactician coding take over a little, showing her what actions she can do within a microklik, then she chooses the most appropriate one to execute."

***********

The crowd roars again as Moonbeam leaps up and backflips over Starhopper, who ends up knocking her helm against Nebula's shoulder.

"Frag!" the spy staggers back and clutches her arm as she bares her denta at her eldest sister.

Even though her visual sensors are covered the hexad leader still manages to fight with precise accuracy. The only attacks of her's that don't land are the ones that are dodged at the last moment. Movements liquid like, flowing in a display of vorns of training. She bends back, servos taking her weight as she flips. Over and over the Seeker goes, her siblings stop, watching cautiously as she heads right for Solarflare. I tense, claws digging into the arms of my chair and denta clenching as I resist the urge to cry out a warning to her.

All the soldiers are on the edge of their seats, waiting for the final blow from the SIC. With just one more flip from being tackled to the ground Moonbeam suddenly stops, stands and spins back on her left pede. She kicks the other up and delivers a hard blow to Solarflare's elbow.

The fiery Seeker grunts and staggers back a few paces, clutching her arm as she glares at the hexad leader. Nebula charges at Moonbeam, who times her next move perfectly. She swings her right leg back at the spy and the extra momentum slams the younger Seeker in the chin, sending her sprawling on her back.

"Solarflare, remember to take the opportunity when you can and when it's wise, don't wait till it comes to you or said opportunity may bite back," both her opponents managed to make just a grunt when she hit them, yet she still knows exactly who she attacked? "Nebula, as usual you're cocky; strike when it's good to do so, not when your anger tells you to."

She doesn't lose her rhythm though as the aqua Seeker leaps up at her. The eldest Seeker spreads her arms till her digits are level with her hips, there's a loud click as her swords uncouple and the hilts fall right into her waiting servos. Moonbeam buries the tips of the blades into the ground and swings up. She does a perfect servostand on the hilts as Nebula soars between the swords and crashes into Solarflare's legs.

"Too loud for a spy," the balancing femme growls.

She flips back, pulling her arms over her helm; wrenching the blades out of the ground in the process, spinning around and swinging them at a charging Red Giant. The crimson mech somehow catches her wrists. He holds them tight, looking stunned at the fact that he's managed to immobilise his unstoppable sister. Moonbeam wastes no time, kicking off the ground and slamming her pedes against Red's chassis, knocking the air out of his intakes. He stumbles back, claws rubbing his dented plating as he takes a shaky breath.

The femme spins again and delivers a low kick just as Starhopper leaps in front of her. The younger femme shrieks and stumbles back, clutching her scratched waist. Solarflare charges at her leader's back, Moonbeam spins and their swords lock. Metal screeches on metal as the two femmes slowly circle each other, the flats of their blades pressed firmly together. The fiery Seeker hisses, flexing her wrists and pushing forward, forcing her sister to lean back. The SIC grins triumphantly, I grin as well, but only because I know this trick. I used it more than once in Kaon.

Deception.

With her opponent wallowing in her own ego, Moonbeam sees the opening and kicks one pede up, scratching her sister's shin.

"Scrap!" Solarflare screams and hops back, swords clattering to the ground as she clutches her leaking leg with both servos.

The hexad leader jumps, spinning in the air and kicking the flame coloured femme in the helm. The younger Seeker is sent sprawling on her back with a screech of anger and shock. Moonbeam strides up to her and swings her sword back, my Spark twists in horror for a moment as I think she's going to kill her own sister. The blade slices down and...stops a wire's breadth away from Solarflare's neck.

"Out!" Everyone, including myself, flinches at the sudden cry from White Dwarf.

"Good try, Solar," Nebula sighs and pats her sister on the back as she sulks over to the entrance to the stands, the crowd cheers for her.

Starscream purrs his whisper to her as she slumps down next to him, "I think you were _spectacular~_ "

Solarflare snarls, baring her denta as her wings quiver with rage and her claws scar the seat she's on, "Shut up, pleasure drone!"

"You should learn to keep your mouth closed, Starscream!" Moonbeam shouts, sword arm still frozen in place.

"How do you know if it was me?! It was Knock Out!"

"Knock Out isn't a pleasure drone!" The hexad leader laughs and the crowd joins.

"Resume!" At the sound of the white mech's vocaliser the battle immediately continues and the laughter dies down. 

Moonbeam spins on one pede, but she's too slow this time. Red Giant swings his fist and her pained, frustrated scream echoes off the Arena walls as she's sent flying into Nebula. The spy grabs her wrists and nuzzles the back of her sister's helm. There's a chorus of whistles from the crowd as Nebula rubs her chassis against her leader's wings. The older femme hisses and stomps her pede back, crushing her sister's toes.

"Glitch!" Nebula shrieks and staggers back, "Star! Servo needed!"

Just as Moonbeam is about to take her out like she did with Solarflare, there's a bright flash as Starhopper appears behind her limping sister. The youngest femme grabs Nebula and disappears with another bright flash. Moonbeam's kick meets empty air as her two siblings reappear on the other side of the Arena.

"Hey! That's my trick!" Skywarp shakes his fist and snarls.

Red Giant charges at his leader, swords away and helm down. He barrels into her chassis and she snarls, but grabs the back of his helm. The mech roars with rage and straightens, lifting Moonbeam off the ground as she clings to him. She kicks his chassis and bites the black fin on his forehelm. Red bellows with, literally, blind fury and leans forward, shaking his helm in an attempt to throw her off. The femme let's her swords fall to the floor and she digs her claws into his shoulders, hauling herself over him while keeping her death grip on her brother.

Her weight switches from his front to his back, and in Red's doubled over position the sudden change causes him to lose his balance. His right arm becomes trapped between the ground and his side, causing him to screech in agony at the unexpected stabbing feeling it brings. As his helm hits the floor Moonbeam snatches a sword up and pushes the tip between his wings.

If she had pushed in it would've torn through the core of his Spark.

"Out!" White Dwarf yells again.

Moonbeam steps back to allow her brother to get up. He goes to use his right arm, but ends up biting back a whine and he collapses on his good side, clutching the injured limb.

"Assistance Commander," he growls, optics shut and denta clenched.

She sheaths her sword while taking a step forward, with the blindfold still on and her helm looking up as she bends down to hold out a servo for him. The bomb-specialist grips it and keeps his bad arm pressed against his chassis as he pulls himself to his pedes.

"Good fight brother," Moonbeam smiles at him as she pats his good arm, he nods, cradling his dislocated limb and walks to the stands with his helm held high.

The pride of a warrior.

He sits beside his sister and rubs his wounds, glaring at the battle field with longing optics.

I lean forward and turn my helm to look at him, nodding in respect, "You fight like a gladiator."

Red Giant returns the gesture, "Thank you, my Lord."

"Your Sire would have been proud."

The Seeker flinches, but the corner of his mouth twitches in a repressed smile.

"Resume!" Dwarf yells before he gets off of Breakdown's lap and climbs onto his brother's, then begins to tend to his broken arm.

Nebula suddenly vanishes as Starhopper disappears in a flash of white light, the youngest femme reappears two espe from her original position before immediately teleporting again. Moonbeam unsheathes both swords and snarls as her little sister zaps about the Arena. My audio receptors quiver with annoyance as they pick up a low frequency sound.

"What is that noise?" Starscream growls as he rubs his audials.

"Soundwave," Solarflare smirks at my TIC, "be a dear and play back the recording of Star teleporting, but in slow motion."

My apprentice looks at me for permission, I nod and he plays the clip as the youngest Seeker continues to dart around. I watch the slow motion clip carefully, a ball of light expands from Starhopper's chassis and engulfs her frame, then it zips to the other side of the Arena before shrinking to reveal the femme.

"She's not teleporting," I mutter, "but what is she doing?"

"It's a hyperdrive," Knock Out gasps, I raise an optic ridge at him and he grins as the clip ends, "it's a miniature hyperdrive with a short warp distance, it makes her move so fast that it creates the illusion of teleportation, and the noise is the very same one that a hyperdrive makes when it's activated."

Down on the Arena floor Moonbeam shakes her helm and covers her audials as Solarflare roars with laughter, "How?! How did you work it out so fast?! That was insanely fast!"

"Eh...my ex was a real techie," my CMO mutters, gritting his denta and glaring at the Arena floor.

He's also a real aft, a complete jerk and a cheating bastard, I clench my denta and struggle to not say it out loud, he is my best hunter of course...just a perverted berth hopper when he's not hunting for credits.

Moonbeam shrieks as something unseen grabs her around the throat and pulls her off the ground. Nebula finally shows herself, she's standing with her chassis pressed against her sister's back, one arm around her neck and the other around her waist. The dark silver femme growls as she struggles. The arm around her neck accidentally slips up over her mouth and she sinks her denta into the delicate metal.

"SCRAP!" the spy screams and lets go, clutching her leaking arm.

The eldest femme wastes no time, she spins back and kicks Nebula in the helm. The aqua Seeker falls to her side, but doesn't get up.

"Out and offline!" the ex-hacker calls out.

"I got her," Starhopper pulls Nebula up and teleports into the stands.

She passes her unconscious sister to Solarflare, I quickly grab the spotted femme's arm to stop her from leaving, "I'm curious, how did you know where not to teleport if you couldn't see Nebula?"

The femme gives me a blank look, "Split Spark," with that she tugs her arms from my grip and teleports back onto the Arena floor.

White Dwarf stands and begins to explain the terms of the final round.

I lean over and look at Solarflare, "What did she mean by 'Split Spark'?"

"It's not uncommon among Seekers," the femme smiles and shrugs, "we were originally a trine when we were still newsparks. All three newsparks split and, well, here we are."

"Moonbeam and Solarflare are of one Spark," Red Giant explains, "Nebula and Starhopper are another, the last one is White Dwarf and myself. It is very common for a trine of newsparks to split, but rare for all of them to survive the carrying. Ultra Magnus's large frame ensured our survival."

"...Knock Out," I growl at the grounder, "you need to tell me these things."

"Patient confidentiality," he mutters, avoiding my gaze as he shifts about on Breakdown's lap.

"So, in short," Dwarf's voice brings me away from my thoughts and my anger subsides, "all weapons are allowed, but cannon and gun power are not permitted."

"Then how can they use all their weapons?" Starscream huffs to himself.

"Ever been hit in the helm with the barrel of a servo cannon?" Solarflare chuckles, "A well aimed, strong swing can actually kill someone. Although, out of the six of us only Red has the strength to do that."

"Begin!"

But Starhopper shows that she's capable of being far cockier than Starscream. She teleports directly in front of Moonbeam, who lunges and pins her to the ground. I may not know a lot about hyperdrives, but I do know that if she warped now it'd just take her sister too. Meaning that-

"Uh...? Out!" the ex-hacker frowns and shakes his helm at his little sister.

"Silly little one," the hexad leader chuckles as she helps her sister up, "too much ego."

"Hey, that was...that was..." the youngest femme just huffs and teleports into the stands, slumping in her seat as she blushes furiously.

Moonbeam removes the blindfold and bows to the cheering crowd. 

"The reining champion for three vorns," Solarflare laughs and mentions to her eldest sister.

"And I challenge said champion!"

The roaring and clapping dies down, everyone looks at the speaker as he leaps onto the field. I'm surprised he doesn't roll an ankle with his oddly shaped pedes.

I sigh and cover my face with a servo, "Starscream...you damn glitch."

"No swords or guns," the silver mech growls, flexing his claws to show his choice of weapon.

Moonbeam looks shocked for a moment, then she grins and laughs, shaking her helm while waving him away, "Typical Seeker."

"I'm very certain that my ability to fight with just my claws is far more superior than yours," my SIC boasts with a smirk.

The femme huffs and rolls her optics, "We shall see how a Seeker mech raised with a silver spoon in his mouth fares against a war hardened Seeker femme."

"He's screwed," Solarflare mutters.

White Dwarf waves to Moonbeam, she looks at him and he shrugs, the dark silver Seeker gives him a devious smirk as she nods.

The ex-hacker gives her a blank look, but then nods back, "Um... Begin!"

Moonbeam flinches, preparing for an immediate charge, but it doesn't come. Starscream just stands there checking his claws with a cheeky smile on his lips. The femme stares at him in confusion. She should know what he's doing, it's what she did to Solarflare. The mech's smile broadens, obviously pleased that he can best Moonbeam at deception. Despite what everyone thinks, the Prince of Vos is by no mean incapable of looking after himself, he simply prefers to avoid getting his servos dirty. Unless it's a situation like the current one, when he's trying to prove that he's not a pampered Prince.

"Well?" Moonbeam chuckles, a hint of nerves and confusion slipping into the jeered syllable, "You gonna fight or get a pedicure?"

"No, please," my SIC purrs, beckoning to her with a single digit, "femmes first."

"I know," the confusion is more evident in her laughter this time, "so come at me!"

Starscream lets out an exaggerated sigh, "Oh, if you insist."

The other Seeker tenses again, but anger flares in her optics as the mech just struts over to her, hips swaying and smile inviting.

"Hey, wait," Moonbeam holds up her servos and scoffs, "do you even know how to fight?"

He stops walking and juts his hip to the side, draping a servo over it as a spine shivering chuckle falls from his lips, "Why don't you come over here and find out?~"

Ah, so now he's moving from deception to exploiting the fact that she's a virgin, showing off his frame like he's the most expensive pleasure-bot in history. And her light blue cheeks indicate that it's working.

Solarflare whistles, "Looks like Nebula has a rival."

"Hm, what?" the spy groans as her optics online.

Knock Out chuckles, leaning over to tap her on the forehelm, "Wakey, wakey Neb's."

"What's this about a rival?" she snaps, ignoring the medic completely.

"There can be no rivalry when there is no chance in one party winning," Red Giant mutters.

"Aww," Starhopper giggles, "that's nice."

"The losing party that I was referring to is Nebula," the red Seeker huffs.

"What?!" the spy hisses, "No one is hotter than me!"

"No one but the sleek, shining, alluring mech down there; who is displaying himself like a whore would for the world to see."

"...Red...is attracted...to Starscream," Solarflare actually _whimpers_ as she stares at her brother, "...And so the deepest levels of the Pit froze over."

I switch my attention to the battlefield, noticing that Moonbeam is now circling Starscream, her pede skates moving gracefully and her expression one of a baffled youngling.

"Like what you see?" the mech purrs, flaring his wings and smirking at her.

"She's gonna get pissed when she realises what's happening," Nebula growls.

Breakdown chuckles, "Why? Because she hates getting flustered?"

"It's worse than that," Solarflare mutters, I watch as Moonbeam's expression slowly turns from baffled and confused into annoyed and acknowledging, "she hates it when mechs treat her like a toy, a thing that they can use for their own pleasure whenever it fancies them. She also hates being beneath a mech, whether it's physically, mentally or emotionally, and right now Screamer is walking all over her with his ego...he's a dead bot walking."

The hexad leader snaps.

With a shriek that makes the entire crowd jump she lunges at Starscream. The mech sidesteps by spinning, at the same time he lashes out and his claws slice her left arm. Moonbeam screeches and doubles over, stumbling slightly then falling to her knees as her pain receptors cause several glitches in her movements.

Starscream huffs as he stalks over to the injured femme, "Typical Seeker indeed."

He reaches down to grab her neck, but Moonbeam gives another shriek of rage and twists around to leap up at him. The crowd roars and eggs them on as the Seekers scratch and kick at one another; with Starscream simply trying to stay alive as Moonbeam attempts to kill him in a hundred ways. Yet in her blind fury none of them succeed.

"It's her biggest weakness."

I look at White Dwarf and frown, "What do you mean?"

"Her pride," he sighs with disappointment as my SIC manages to doge another lunge, Moonbeam lands on her back, adding to the dents in her wing, "her ego and stubbornness. She's a good Commander, but she...she just...hates it when someone's better than her; when a mech thinks that, just because she's a Seeker femme, they can just walk all over her."

Moonbeam jumps and kicks up, ready to take the mech out as she did with her SIC. However, Starscream's seen the trick one too many times. With precise timing and incredible accuracy, he manages to catch her leg just above her ankle. The Air Commander sneers and holds her out at arms length.

"Ah, not so ferocious now, are we dear Moonbeam?" he purrs and laughs down at her.

The femme snarls and struggles as she tries to reach him.

Solarflare flinches as she mutters to herself, "Stop looking down Screamer, you're gonna get yourself killed. Don't look the beast in the optic, it'll go full on feral."

"Of course a pure Seeker would be able to best a mutt such as yourself," my SIC sighs, not realising that he's also insulting the five Seekers in the stands, "it was a lost battle from the beginning, really. As they say, the old have more experience while the young are simply brash..."

Starscream continues his rambling, not realising that the femme is chuckling to herself.

"Talk too much," she huffs.

There's no warning, no sign.

The femme twists her pede and her wheel spins, scraping Starscream's wrist. He snarls and let's go. The pede he was holding hooks behind his neck as Moonbeam puts all her weight on her servos and swings her other pede around his neck. Her ankles cross and her knees press together.

The mech shrieks as she flips backwards, pulling his frame over as she does. He lands on his back and she keeps moving, allowing herself to fall back and land her aft on his chassis as her knees press against his hips. At the same time she pulls a dagger out and pushes the blade against his neck.

"I yield! Please, please don't kill me! Have mercy!" I cover my face with a servo as my Spark shudders with embarrassment at the sound of my first lieutenant, my Second in Command, my Air Commander, the Prince and only heir to the throne of Vos screaming like a young, weak femme in front of the entire crew.

Moonbeam laughs, "A simple 'I yield' would've sufficed, your majesty."

I stare at the ebony femme as she stands and pushes a pede on Starscream's chassis, then drapes an arm over her knee as she bends forward to grin triumphantly down at him. All in one fluid like motion, looking like a hunter posing for a picture with their kill. The crowd cheers, booming and echoing like the ones that once roared for me.

My processor lists the aspects of her personality, abilities and frame: graceful in all her movements, wide range of weapons, basic training in all martial arts, ambitious processor, gorgeous lips, loyal, cunning, strong for a Seeker femme, beautiful chassis, obedient, natural leadership instincts, slim hips, smooth vocaliser.

My Spark throbs.

Born to be a natural leader, strong, fast, independent, perfectly coordinated movements and a merciless fighter. Then she has the added bonus of being the eldest sparkling of my Master, which means she has a great gladiator's Energon flowing through her lines. All excellent and desirable qualities for the mate of a warlord. Yes, Moonbeam. You will be my...no, you _are_ the only Bond-Mate for me. You are the living image of the perfect Decepticon, and I shall make you their Queen, one way or another.

**********

"Knocky, darling, where do you keep your buffer?" Nebula's vocaliser is the first thing I hear as I enter the med bay.

"I think I saw one the other orbital, in the box that's next to the container filled with nuts and bolts," my CMO laughs as he patches up Starscream's torn wing.

"Ohh, I see what you did there, you naughty medic~" the spy coos and she bends down gracefully, showing off her shapely aft for the world to see as she pulls out the buffer from a box, she grins, dangling something else on the end of a digit, "Ah! A very naughty medic~"

"What do you m- holy slag! How'd that get in there!?" the cherry grounder's cheek plates flush with embarrassment as he snatches the cuffs from the giggling spy's middle digit and subspaces them.

Red Giant is the first to take notice of my presence, he quickly stands and nods, "Lord Megatron," he salutes, then hisses in agony as he clutches his patched up arm, "a-apologies my L-Lord, I did not-"

I take pity on the Seeker and hold up a servo to silence him, "Sit, you have no need to explain your injury."

"Ah, hello Master~" Nebula purrs as she buffs her scraped thigh, dragging the device in small, slow circles while keeping optic contact with me, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Yes, I did," I mutter, breaking my gaze from her frame and turning to the one that's far more enticing to my optics.

The hexad leader sits calmly in the corner, silently watching her younger siblings with a faint air of amusement. I can't help but stare at her scratched finish, the small dips of the dents in her right wing and the patch on her upper left arm covering the shallow, yet long gash from Starscream's claws. Pursed lips, crossed legs, claws drawing invisible shapes as they drag on the ground as if they have their own separate form of control to the rest of her frame, optics fixed and un-flickering. So calm, so silent, so patient, so deadly.

So beautiful.

My vocaliser decides it has a processor of its own as I call out involuntarily, "Moonbeam."

Her helm jerks up and she flinches as her concentration is snapped away from her thoughts, "Yes, my liege?"

I clear my throat and clasp my servos behind my back as I straighten up to my full height, trying to look as professional as possible, yet there's a very foreign feeling of nervousness slowly claiming all my systems, "There are several matters that I wish to discuss with you, would you care to accompany me to my quarters so we may speak in private?"

*cough*Sorevalveinthemorning*cough* Starscream avoids my glare and taps his long, sharp digits together as both of Knock Out's servos fly up to stifle the loud laugh that was just beginning.

The femme just stares at them for a moment, helm tilted to one side in confusion, then she turns back to me and nods, "Of course sir."

The Seeker goes to get up, but I take three quick strides and extend a servo for her. She looks at it curiously, then gives me a smile as she takes it and I pull her to her delicate pedes. I give my sniggering SIC and head medic one last glare, then escort Moonbeam out of the room. Before the door closes behind us I hear her sisters muttering and giggling amongst themselves while Red Giant questions them all on what's so funny.

**********

"I would like you, and any of your capable siblings, to train some of my officers," my pedes take long, strangely eager, strides over to my desk and I pick up the data pad I'd placed there this morning.

"Us?" she sounds more shocked than I expected her to.

"You brought my Second in Command to his knees, after you'd defeated four of your siblings blindfolded. This may surprise you, but the only other Decepticons to ever take him down are Soundwave and I," I chuckle as she gives me a modest smile.

"His technique is sloppy and he relies on his claws like a normal Seeker," she mutters without thinking, the femme realises her mistake, blushing and looking down, "I...um...I criticise him with respect of course my liege."

"And I'd like him to improve, he's my Second as well as my Air Commander," I hand her the data pad and mention to the berth, "shall we sit?"

Moonbeam freezes as her blush deepens, looking at the berth with a suspicious gaze, "Um...very well."

Deadly and equally innocent, but by no means a fool. By every means complicated though. Then again, she's a femme.

The hexad leader turns the device on as I sit, pulling my legs onto the berth and crossing my pedes behind her back, the Seeker raises an optic ridge at me for a moment but looks back at the screen.

"Starscream, Breakdown, Lugnut, Blitzwing and Knock Out," she looks at me again and frowns, "why them in particular?"

"I already gave you Starscream's reasons," I explain, mentioning to the data pad with a servo, "Blitzwing is the only active Triple-Changer in the war, if he can learn to fight even slightly like you can, then we'd have a fearsome solider on our side. Lugnut...let's just say that simply learning the meaning of discipline, from someone other than myself, would do him good. Breakdown used to be-"

"He's an ex-Wrecker," Moonbeam's optics scan the blue bruiser's profile.

"Indeed," I nod and cross my servos over my waist, starting to feel more relaxed, "but he's been in the medical department for too long, he hasn't seen a fight since the tasks I set for him and Knock Out."

"How many did you give them?" she mutters.

"I'd normally give three," I growl, "but they Bonded without telling a superior. So I made an example of them, they had five."

"But they Bonded before they joined the Decepticons."

"That's no excuse, they didn't tell us that they were Bonded," I may have a kinder Spark than most gladiators, but I still have an army to keep in line.

"On which mission did Breakdown lose his optic?"

"They told you?" Breakdown's usual excuse for his missing visual sensor is that he'd lost it in a recon mission before the war, while he was still a Wrecker, it's difficult to believe that he'd tell any outsider the truth.

"No, it was simple deduction that lead me to that theory. He looked distant when he told us about the missions, like he was in pain, almost longing for something he'd lost," Moonbeam sighs at my confused look, "when you live with five younger siblings who refuse talking about their problems, you learn to read facial expressions."

"He lost it on the fourth task," I look away, feeling the regret welling up in my Spark.

There's a short moment of silence, until the femme breakes it, "But what about Knock Out, he's your CMO, and a One-Third. You think it's wise to put him on the field."

"We need as many field-medics as we can get, and I see potential in him, even if he does have a terrible case of vanity," I chuckle, "so, which of your siblings should train these candidates?"

She gets up and paces the length of the room as she stares at the screen for a klik, then looks back at me, "White Dwarf is out of the question. So that leaves you with five students and five teachers. Lugnut's size means the only suitable instructor would be Red Giant. Starhopper seems to like Blitzwing, and the feeling is mutual from what I've seen, I trust my sister can deal with his changing personalities since she can deal with the rest of our siblings. Breakdown is quite large, but Solarflare would love the challenge and I'm sure he could take one of her beatings with no trouble. Does..." She frowns, "does Knock Out like to dance?"

Of all the questions...that one has never come to my processor till now, "What?"

"His flamboyant personality would confuse Red Giant, it would make Starhopper feel uncomfortable, it would enrage Solarflare and I'd tire of it quickly. But Nebula is basically your medic in a Seeker femme's frame, her personal training envolves dancing though," Moonbeam smirks at my baffled look, it took her only a klik to analyse the situation and figure out the perfect trainers for my warriors.

"I...don't know," I frown in confusion, "I...I think I've seen him dance at some parties."

"Then she can be his instructor. So I'll train Starscream," the Seeker chuckles, "which will be very interesting after today's events."

"Very well," I nod, unable to hide my smile at the mental image of my SIC's face when he finds out about this, "I shall leave that to you to sort out."

"...But I don't have anyone's comm link," the femme frowns, drumming her claws in a thigh.

"I'll have Soundwave send the frequencies to you and you can send them to your siblings," I'd completely forgotten about that, but I try to not show it as I get up and walk over to the seat at my desk, "Now," I sigh, pulling the chair out, "one last thing, then you may go."

"Yes my liege," she smiles, obviously enjoying the one-on-one attention in her favourite gladiator's berthroom.

Gah, cease your existence you petty, vain thoughts!

"I'll fix your wings," I sit down with my knees firmly together and look at her expectantly.

"Um...excuse me Lord Megatron, but I don't fully understand what you're asking of me," Moonbeam frowns and raises an optic ridge.

"You sit on my lap, I massage the dents out of your wing," I explain with a smirk.

"Oh..." Her intakes hitch as she shifts from one pede to the other and wrings her servos together.

"Sit," I order, taping my claws on my lap to show her where.

Even though her right wing is dented and they're both scratched they still manage to quiver, "S-sir?"

I've been around Starscream and his trine long enough to recognise what the many movements of a Seeker's wings mean, I don't know them all, but I know all too well what this one is. I give the young femme a reassuring smile, although I doubt my sharp denta are of any help, and beckon her over, patting my knee as I do so.

"What Starscream said to you in the med bay and whatever he has said before then, I ask that you ignore it," I say gently, "I merely wish to fix your wings."

"But...Kno-... Knock Out could..." she wraps her arms around her middle and looks away so that I can't see the almost white crescent moon on her right cheek, yet even in the dim light I can see the deep blush against her dark silver finish.

"Is busy with your siblings and Air Commander," I smirk and raise an optic ridge, waiting for another excuse, when one doesn't come I decide to add; "I've fixed my Second's wings before, he actually prefers to give me the task rather than our Chief Medical Officer. If it makes you uncomfortable then you may sit with your back to me."

Moonbeam frowns and give my lap a nervous glance, then edges over in a very awkward fashion while scratching absentmindedly at one particular transformation seam in her left arm. She looks nothing like the Seeker I saw in the Arena. That femme looked older, hardy, steady, cordinated, graceful and so very confident. However this one is...dare I even _think_ it, adorable, shy, younger, clumsy, frightened and unsure of herself. The difference is astonishing...does she show this side often? Does she show it to her own siblings? Do they even know about it? Or has this arisen recently? Am I the thing that frightens her, or is it something more complicated?

Questions later, right now I need to stop overthinking. With shaky legs and an equally shaky sigh the ex-Autobot sits down on the very edge of my lap, pushing her servos down on her knees to stop them from quivering. I huff in amusement as I wrap one arm around her waist then carefully pull one leg over mine, with a smirk I drag her back and her parted thighs straddles my legs. Moonbeam bites her lower lip as I nuzzle her shoulder, her engine stutters as I brush my lips against a sensitive neck wire. Her frame gives an involuntary pulse of heat and I force back a shudder of delight.

"I've seen the way you look at me, my dark beauty," I whisper in her audial, she gasps as I growl teasingly against the sensitive receptor, "you know how to control your anger, your pain, your sadness. But desire, love and admiration are an intoxicating mix. You can't feign it as undying loyalty and pure respect."

"M-my Lord," she twitches and wriggles slightly in my grasp, letting a soft whimper fall from her parted lips, "I, ah, I m-must respectfully pro-...protest against y-your ad-...ah! Advances."

I freeze at her last word and frown. Of course, she's never felt touches quite like these, so there lies the problem.

"I do apologise, I'm so accustomed to being with others that I forgot details like this, you still have your seal intact," I wrap both arms around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder.

"I take it you prefer a partner with experience then," she mutters, I can't help but find it odd that there's a hint of disappointment in her vocaliser.

"On the contrary," I growl, pressing my chassis against her back, "I quite enjoyed breaking Starscream's seal, as well as Soundwave's. I merely prefer a willing partner, not a protesting one."

Moonbeam frowns as she stares at the opposite wall, all the tension leaves her frame and her shoulders slump slightly. How very curious.

"You want to interface with me then," I chuckle and rub her right hip, the tension immediately returns, this time accompanied by a needy whine.

"I...I don't know," she growls, obviously annoyed with her treacherous and confused frame.

"You interest me," I murmur in a matter-of-a-fact tone, "you inflict and take pain on the battlefield without a care, the only thing you strive to do is protect your siblings and defeat your enemy. You don't care if your opponent lays a servo or pede on your frame. But," I brush a claw tip against a thick wire beneath her thigh plating and she groans, frame shivering in a mixture of need and fear, "you shy away from the touch of intimacy."

"Relationships, I fear having a relationship," she gasps and shutters her optics.

Oh...oh!

"So...you don't want to get close to someone, because you fear they could deactivate at any moment," now I see, it makes sense...well, at least part of this predicament does.

"I worry that if I get too close, I'll lose my family. They need me now more than ever," she hisses, "and I don't want my processor to wander from my one true goal."

"And what is that my dear?" I purr in her audial, touching her wing where a dent is.

She snarls in discomfort as I pinch the dent and massage it till the delicate metal flattens out. I trail my digits over the rest of her wing, pinching, rubbing, and massaging out all the dents. The dark Seeker squirms and groans softly in my grasp. I hum in annoyance as her aft rubs against my already hot interface panel and my frame shudders as my spike aches to be released.

"I. Didn't. Hear. You," I pant out, kissing her jaw between each breath.

"To fol-follow your cause, and to fight the Autobots," Moonbeam purrs and rolls her helm to the side with a growl, "I will fight till they're all deactivated, and then I'll rebuild Praxus from it's ashes, even if I have to do it by myself."

And there's the fire that captured my optics from the beginning, that lack of fear, along with the disregard for rank, creating a headstrong femme who won't take no for an answer, "You seem to have your priorities set then," I kiss her neck, earning a soft moan in return.

Moonbeam turns her helm to look at me, but her optics keep avoiding my gaze as she blushes deeply, "I'd be honoured if you'd help me my Lord, to rebuild Praxus when the war's over that is, if it's not too much to ask?"

"For you Moonbeam, anything," I nuzzle her jaw, my frame vents hot air out as I sigh, I can't expect a sealed femme to just throw herself on the berth and bare her Spark while begging for me to Bond to her; we may be in the middle of a war, but I still need to do this the right way. In honour of her Sire, my Master, "May I ask something of you?"

"Anything my liege," she whispers, managing to sound calm once more.

"You are beautiful," I murmur against her shoulder plating, choosing my words carefully, "but you are also deadly, strong, intelligent, cunning, resourceful, and you have a fiery determination that I have yet to see in anyone else. I ask but one thing, and your answer doesn't effect anything else. Not your siblings safety, not if I'll help you rebuild your home, or if you may stay on my ship. I will not think any less of you if you say no, and you are allowed to have as much time as you wish to think about your answer."

"Lord Megatron?"

I take her servo and kiss the back gently, "Will you do me the honour of allowing me to court you?"

Her frame freezes up and all the only sound she makes is a frightened, or possibly shocked, squeak. I patiently for wait for half a klick, knowing that, even with the sort-of warning I gave her, this must be a huge hit to her systems.

The Seeker's intakes finally suck in air as they rattle, "Mmm...mm...m-m-may I have s-...some time to...to think your o-offer over?"

"Of course," I place a soft kiss on her cheek, an idea suddenly takes flight in my processor, my claws take her waist in a gentle hold and I lift her up. She yelps as I turn her around to face me, her knees straddle my hips as I pull her close and rub my brow against hers, "but before you leave, may I give you something to help with your Energon for thought?"

She looks nervous, so very nervous, yet there's still an ember of that fire burning beneath her icy fear, "If...if it is a...a kiss...then you may."

I hum in approval as I brush my lips against hers, she whimpers and wraps her arms tightly around my neck, pulling me closer to seal our lips. My claws stroke her wing soothingly, the taught wires beneath her armour relax, her engine purrs as she lets me lead. _Don't hold it, don't scare her._ The kiss barley lasts half a klik before she starts to tense up again. With a soft growl I reluctantly pull away.

Moonbeam stares at me, optics hazy and vocaliser forming soft, confused whines as she quivers in my grasp.

"I...I...I should be going," she murmurs, avoiding my gaze and slumping against my frame as she relaxes.

But she doesn't move, not for half a breem.

After a while I nudge her, thinking she's slipped into recharge. Those thoughts are immediately eradicated as she flinches at the touch, the Seeker blushes, continuing to avoid optic contact as she gets up and bows.

"I'll...be going now my liege," she mutters, then walks to the door.

"Megatron."

"Excuse me sir?" She turns to look at the wall behind me in confusion.

I smile at her, "Please, just call me Megatron."

"...Only if my answer is yes," there's a faint, yet sharp tone to her growl, she looks at me with an expression that the warrior inside her would give me, then leaves.

I sit there for a long time, trying to figure her out. How can she be two opposite femmes?

My claws curl against my thigh and I bite back a groan as my aching spike makes itself known once more.

I smirk at my own predicament; Starscream is in the medical bay right now and there's no reason to send him there twice in one orbital. He won't be happy about my offer to Moonbeam though, the little slagger will most likely be all over me once he finds out, treating every time in the berth like it's the last one from now on... But I do need to talk to Soundwave about sending out the comm frequencies, and I haven't properly thanked him for getting me out of the scuffle with White Dwarf's virus controlled frame. Plus, it has been a few metacycles since I've seen that gorgeous face that's always hidden behind the black mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one sucks up till the scene in Megatron's quarters. Because I lost interest in fight scenes while writing one! Dammit! The kiss though, I bet in the depths of your mind you're thinking "It was sudden, where's the tease? Where's the eventual, metaphorical sigh of relief when they finally _do_ kiss?" Let me tell you something about this pairing, I don't have good tidings for it, I love both characters and the pairing, but I love a pairing whose journey is like a roller-coaster (but **_not_** like Twilight...just...just no)


	6. Price of a Thousand Colours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Every shape is a burden, every colour a taunt**   
>  **You were born with this, this sense**   
>  **You have no Demon laughing at you**   
>  **This weight drags me down as I reach  
>  **For the light is as blinding as the weight is heavy****   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say that this is late due to mental health issues happening in my brain (paranoia, social anxiety, depression, etc...really, the list goes on), so I'm very sorry it's late!
> 
> Several things here have forced me to write this incase I haven't done so: I own nothing but the non-canon characters and the plot, everything else belongs to their respected parties (that felt unnaturally professional, I seriously don't feel right at this moment!)
> 
> I'm being serious when I say: listen to the song at the end while reading if you can (if you can't, then listen to it when you've finished reading), it'll feel great, make the sense make more sense and you'll see that I chose it for both the lyrics and the music itself. Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE-Krlqi4fk
> 
> Also, elements of the IDW universe weaved their way into the story...because it's so beautiful...

~White Dwarf's POV~

"What did you say to him?"

"How was the kiss?~"

"What does kissing feel like?"

Moonbeam stares at her three younger sisters and shifts in her seat, rubbing the patched up wound on her arm as she clutches her cube of Energon, then forces a smile, "Um...one, I said I'd think about it. Two, it was...alright. Three, I can't tell you that, Starhopper."

"Why?" my little sister whines.

"It was one kiss, I can't judge every kiss in history after I've had just one uncomf- um, ok kiss," the eldest femme chuckles, yet she doesn't manage to hide the awkward, embarrassed glint in her optics.

"Just don't call him the _thing_ ," Nebula mutters as Moonbeam takes a sip of her Energon, "or you'll have him running for the edge of the next galaxy."

"What thing?" Starhopper asks as our Commander proceeds to down the rest of her drink in one go, as if it were High Grade.

The spy laughs, "Conjunx Endura."

With several loud spluttering sounds Moonbeam chokes on the Energon, her optics bulging as she stares at Nebula with a horrified expression.

"Easy there, Moon," the ruby femme laughs, giving her chocking sister a hard thump on the back, "it's not like you're gonna be Bonded to him within the orn."

"Not - _ack_ \- helping, Nebula," Moonbeam coughs.

"Well I had to get you back somehow for the fact that you waited till morning to tell us," my younger sister huffs.

_'...Dwarf~...'_

"Red, Dwarf," Solarflare's timing is so perfect that I manage to pass off my jolt of fear as surprise, "Yes or no: do you think Moon should've said yes?"

"Are you really asking me about relationships?" my brother mutters as he frowns.

"...Good point," the SIC looks at me, "Dwarf, yes or no?"

"Um...no?" I hope that's the right answer, but my fiery sister's frown tells me otherwise.

"Oh, and why's that? You think our sister isn't good enough for Megatron?!" she snaps.

I flinch, processor racing as it struggles to think of an acceptable reply, "Uh...um...no, I-I just thought it'd be a good idea to wait till she knows him on a more personal level."

"...Alright," Solarflare sighs, "I'll take that...it's pretty good advice actually."

_'Dwarf...my darling...I know you can hear me...'_

My Spark skips a beat, I stiffen in my chair and look at the closest exit of the rec. room. Gotta get out of here, can't let them see.

_'Oh, you can hear me! Good boy...'_

My claws grip my seat, digging into the sturdy metal as I struggle to remain calm. I take a few deep breaths and try to ignore the voices.

"Hey, Dwarf." Moonbeam breaks through my thoughts and I yelp, giving a full frame flinch, her optics widen at my reaction, "You...ok?"

All my siblings look at me, dread flares in my Spark and I slouch in my seat, "Y-yea, just spacing out, that's all. I think I'll go lie down for a bit. May I please be excused?"

My eldest sister smiles and nods, I'm up before she even starts to move her helm, pedes taking me to my quarters as fast as they can.

 _'Tsk, tsk, tsk,'_ the voice tuts, _'now, now White Dwarf. You already know recharging will only make it worse...'_

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

I walk with my arms pressed against my sides, helm down, fists clenched, frame twitching and shivering.

 _'Hmm,'_ the voice hums to itself, _'What did you say when you realised that I'd given you the greatest gift anyone could ever give you? Do you remember, dear Dwarf?'_

Ignore, just ignore it.

I type in the pass code and rush into my room, thanking Primus that no one saw me. I quiver all over as I fall back on my berth and curl up into a ball, a fruitless attempt to shield myself from the voice in my mind.

 _'Aha, now I remember,'_ it chuckles, ' _you said "I'll never fall into the temptation that you have placed in my mind, I'll get rid of you one way or another, this so called gift isn't worth having you control me"...and yet, I'm still here...and all thanks to my presence, you can still see...'_

Knock Out, I need Knock Out!

It laughs at me, 'As if that slut could help! I'm your only friend and your only friend says you don't need help, because your only friend is right here to help you...'

Three vorns and it still hasn't sunk in that telling me that doesn't make it true!

_'Meh, a mech can try...but hey! We're talking again!'_

I force my exhausted frame to get up. Everything spins and I clutch the berthside table-

_'~You need me~'_

-to try and gain what little support I can, but physical support isn't at the top of my list of needs right now.

_'~You mean nothing without me, I gave you meaning~'_

Yet I don't have to convince myself that I still need physical support as I fall to my knees.

_'~Just agree with me, only then will I let you recharge, I've been saying this ever since that stupid Patch~'_

My claws drag across the edge of the table as I slump forward and whimper.

_'~There's only one way to get rid of me for good~'_

Tired...so...tired...

_'~You...just~'_

Recharge, please Spawn...let me recharge...

_'~...need...to~'_

Please, just one joor...

_'~...die!~'_

My tank twists at his tempting proposition, my optics dim and my grip weakens...my will breaks.

I tremble, all over I tremble. I shouldn't be able to see my servos, I'm not meant to see this table, I should only be able to feel my berth.

Something inside me snaps, it's been snapping over and over ever since the fire. My grip tightens. I sit up, fling my helm back and bring it down on the edge of the table with all the strength I can muster.

Everything is dark, I can't see. Yet it only makes me feel even more terrified. Heat, I can feel that too, it feels just like...fire.

I online my optics, but it's still dark... No, that's not darkness, nor is it a shadow. Him. It's Him. Towering over me, black frame half eclipsing the blazing scene behind Him, the scene of Praxus the first time I saw it. The only time I saw it.

A grin spreads across His face, revealing his sharp denta, he chuckles as purple embers fall from His lips, "~Oh Dwarf, didn't I say that recharging would only make it worse? Did you really think that knocking yourself out would be any better?~"

"Go away," I sob, covering my face with one arm, wrapping the other around my side as I curl up in the debris and ash.

"~Ah, but I can't~" He purrs and gets down on his knees, slipping a claw beneath my chin, but He doesn't lift my helm, "~I'm stuck here, and you're my only entertainment~"

The claw drags across my jawline, I flinch as it draws Energon, whimpering at the warm feeling of it welling up and seeping out of the shallow wound. His other servo pushes my arm off my face and cups my cheek. I try to curl up even more, but I make the mistake of looking at the two hollow sockets on the top half of his helm. The mistake of staring into the abyss, of allowing it to stare back at my broken Spark.

"~Beautiful~" the deity whispers, I cringe at the unnatural, adoring tone and gentle smile.

With one servo still on my cheek he grabs my chin with the other, smearing my Energon on His palm and the side of my face. I sob, offlining my optics and shivering as his icy breath covers my lips.

"~Oh, how I'd love to ravish your body~" He sighs, I let out a pitiful whine as His brow rubs against mine, "~as soon as I figure out how to vacate your mind, I'm getting myself a handsome, strong frame to occupy. I need a strong frame if I'm going to protect my greatest treasure. Ah, but it'll be a shame that you won't be able to see me, to see how pretty I am for you~"

"Stop," I almost don't hear my own whispered plea, "Please, just stop."

_Dwarf..._

"Why?" He chuckles, "You'll love it," a tear runs down my cheek to join the Energon as His servo leaves my chin to travel across the surface of my frame, resting on my hip, "if you're a really good boy, I'll be very gentle."

"No," I whine, making a weak attempt at shaking His claws off the side of my helm.

_White Dwarf..._

"But you'll be living a life that Kings will be jealous of," He murmurs, placing a sickening, gentle kiss on my clean cheek, "and I promise I won't let the other me hurt you. You know how I get when I'm mad, I lash out, I hate hurting you."

"Liar."

_Brother..._

"No," He purrs, rubbing my hip in slow, tender circles, "you know I can't lie, the closest I get to lying is stretching the truth."

"You're not my friend," I hiss, it's weak, but at least it's not another pitiful sound, "no one tells a friend to die."

"But I said that I'm your only friend," He licks my neck and I growl at the hummed words, "the truth was...I was your only friend in the room. I don't want you to die," He sighs, "that was the other me, the one that scared the spiky gladiator."

"White Dwarf!" something shakes me, "Please brother, wake up!"

My frame jolts as I scream, lashing out as the fire vanishes, as the debris and ash disappear from beneath me. As He fades away, His quietening voice snarling profanities, "~Damn, fucking Seeker! Daring to interrupt our alone time!~"

I feel the cold floor of my quarters against my spasming wings, but I don't online my optics. I keep lashing out, screeching and letting my primal instincts control me. Someone is yelling at me, trying to pin me down. I kick and claw as I scream wordlessly at them.

~Brother, stop! It is me!~

The familiar feeling, the feeling of the other half of my Spark reaching across the Bond. It washes over my frame and processor while claiming my entire being in a tender hold. A comforting EM field encases my taunt one as large arms scoop me up, cradling me close to the familiar Spark. I tremble and nuzzle close, not having to online my optics to know who it is.

"Red," I sob, pawing at my brother's chassis.

"I told you last night," he sighs, pressing his lips just below my crest and leaving them there, "as well as the night before that and so on...you need help."

"How did you know I needed you?" I skip his underlying point while trying to stay on topic.

The soft growl tells me he sees what I'm trying to do, but he answers anyway, "You were screaming through the Bond, our sisters did not heard it, although they are all heavy rechargers. I came to your door and knocked, but you did not answer. I entered and saw you having a fit on the floor...and..." he tries so hard, but fails to hold back a sobbed whimper and his arms pull me closer, "White Dwarf...please. I despise that medic, but he is the only being on this ship that will know what to do. You need help."

Why'd he say our sisters are heavy rechargers? Unless... "Is it night?"

"Dwarf," he hisses, grip on me tightening, "please, it is...it is...it is killing you. I refuse to stand by and watch as you allow yourself to be slowly broken from within."

"...I'll go to Knock Out in the morning," I sigh.

But he hears my empty promise, "No, your helm has a cut, I will take you now."

I touch my forehelm, flinching as a soft ache begins to make itself known beneath my digits. I guess I hit the edge of the table a little too hard.

**********

Guess I should've taken into consideration the fact that I could deactivate from loss of Energon. Well I did, but I never imagined it to be like this. Yet I couldn't care less. I want to die and at the same time I don't, because while I may not show it, deep down I'm a pretty stubborn mech. It's a speck of stubbornness that's made its way to the surface, that's all it takes to let my brother carry me to Knock Out's quarters and let him bang on the door. The speck makes me allow him to carry me to the medical bay while Breakdown and Knock Out rush ahead.

While on the surface it seems like I don't care, even as I slip in and out of consciousness, I don't seem to care about what Primus will decide what my fate should be this night-cycle. But underneath it all there's a driving force, it's the stubbornness combining with a feeling of spitefulness to create a faint fire. A fire that burns for one purpose and one alone: to keep living, to not allow Him the intoxicating sensation of victory. However, I know that if I win He'll also win, for if I rid myself of His presence I will also rid myself of my sight.

I groan, grasping for the sensations of life, pulling myself out of the constant circle of darkness and light. I roll my helm from side to side, aware of several voices close by.

"Whi-...-arf, wa-...up..." Brother?

"Easy, he's...coming to..."

My optics struggle to online and I can barely lift my helm without having the world suddenly decide it likes being on an angle. Something gently pushes me back down and I try to focus on the blurry, spinning shapes around me.

"Careful, you...of Energon..." someone mutters, I think it's Breakdown.

"What?" I groan, my audials ring and I find it very difficult to stay conscious.

Something pats the side of my helm, my systems slowly reboot and without warning my pain receptors kickstart. I hear a loud yelp, mine perhaps? My helm hurts, stings even.

"Settle down, Dwarf," Red Giant murmurs.

"That'll be the pain receptors rebooting," Knock Out sighs, ah, it was him patting my helm with a cloth that caused the pain.

"Hurts," I whisper, tired...so tired...

"It was pretty weird," the red mech mutters, "one klik you've got a cut on your helm that's the length of half my little claw. Next thing I know, it's grown to the length of my middle claw and is the width of Breakdown's smallest digit."

_'~Oops, my bad~'_

"S-...Spawn," I manage to say.

Something blares in my HUD - Warning: Power levels at 10%, dropping at a rate of 0.78% per klik.

_'~Hmm...how peculiar~'_

I squeeze my optics shut; it's not real, not real, the message is just a lie created to scare me. As I force myself into a world of darkness there's a cackle, something black and lightening fast leaps at me sitting itself on my chassis, a face with two black abysses grins down at me.

"Spawn!" my optics snap open and I swipe at the closest thing, - to my horror it happens to be Knock Out's arm - kicking as I screech and tremble.

I get a grip on my self-control and force myself to calm down. I whine, curling into a ball as I sob and clutch my helm, offlining my optics but not shutting them.

"Go away, go away..." I whimper over and over again, clawing at the top of my helm.

Someone touches my shoulder and I scream, but they grab my wrists before I can slash at them.

"Easy brother," Red whispers as I stare at him, he lets me go and I curl up again.

"Red, Breakdown, out," Knock Out snaps as he nurses his scratched arm, then shoos them away with his good one, "Go on, get."

"No," my brother growls, "I am not-"

"Just leave, Red," I mutter as all the fight drains from my systems, "there's nothing more you can do for me."

He looks at me, expression slightly broken and confused, "...If that is what you want?"

"Yea."

"V-very well," my brother bites his lip, then walks out of the medical bay without another word, step stiff and forced.

"You too," the medic pushes his confused Sparkmate out, "wait outside incase I need you."

Before Breakdown can even answer the door is closed in his face.

"Let's see him kick me again while he's recharging now," Knock Out huffs as he strides into the storage room and comes out with a scanner.

"Won't work," I sigh as I look at the device.

"Better safe than dead," he replies, tone dull as he places the scanner on a nearby tool tray before pulling up a chair beside the berth I'm on. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and servos clasped together, he lets out a heavy ex-vent, "So, what's wrong?"

I grab my goto answer and look away, "Nothing."

"What a complete load of scrap," he hisses, frowning at me as he takes my servo with both of his, "something's very wrong, one klik you've got a massive cut on your helm and the next..." he puts my servo on the cut and I whimper at what I feel.

"...It's...it's gone..." I snatch my servo away and wring it against my other one, biting my lip, staring at my digits as they rub together and quiver, "...He's...He's t-...talking..."

"Who?"

"S-...Spawn..."

"Dwarf," Knock Out gently touches my arm, I whine as I lift my helm to look at him, crimson and ebony optics so tender, yet at the same time so fierce, "What did he say?"

"He said He'd...He said things..." I can't say it, I'm too ashamed, too used to hiding my troubles from my family, unable to bring myself to place my burdens on the shoulders of one who may already have too many to stand with.

"Things..." he forces himself to stand, legs shaking with each step he takes to the other medical berth and leans on it as he whispers to no one in particular, "Things..." without warning the medic snarls, slamming a fist on the berth with enough strength to leave a small dent, _"Things?!"_

"J-just things, n-n-nothing important," I whimper, scooting as far away from him as I can.

"Things," Knock Out's tone is sharp, yet he speaks in a whisper as he walks back to me and sits on the edge of the berth. His optics catch the gaze of mine and refuse to let them go, "Oh Dwarf, you say things, but I see what they are. I know that look. I live the life in the aftermath of that look, the fear of knowing something inevitable is going to happen but you have no idea when it will. I live after that something, the very same something you're scared will happen."

"Beautiful..." "Oh, how I'd love to ravish your body..."

"What. Did. He. Say?"

I tremble and bite back my tears and force out the words I've kept locked away for far too long, "He said He'll get a new body and then He's going...to...t-...t-...take...me," I pull my knees up to my chassis and cover my face with my servos, finally letting out the tears of fear and confusion which had been gathering dust with the words, "What did I do to deserve this Knock Out? What did I do?!"

"Not a thing," he whispers and wraps his arms around me, sighing and nuzzling the top of my helm, "I've never met anyone so evil that they deserve to be used like that, only the ones who carry out the deed."

"Trying not to be cliché and say they deserve a taste of their own medicine?" I give a sad smile and lean against the medic, already pushing the remaining river of tears back for another orbital.

He smiles back, "They deserve it, they deserve the pain they inflict and so much more," his grip around me tightens as he shudders, "the sick bastards."

"Are you okay?" I wipe my tears away and look at him.

Knock Out looks me in the optics, yet he never loses the sad curve of his lips, "Nothing."

"I live the life in the aftermath of that look..." "I live after that something, the very same something you're scared will happen."

"You...you were-"

"Shh," he puts a digit on my lips, "I'm dealing with it...you know," he sounds both content and sad as he speaks, "you're the first of Autobot to find out...not counting the three who deserve a taste of their own medicine."

"Autobots? Three Autobots?"

"Yea, kinda reshapes your thoughts on them and how serious they take their morals. Doesn't it?" Knock Out chuckles, yet his optics become unfocused and his digits curl to form fists before slowly uncurling, then he leans forward to rub his forehelm as his denta grind together, "Alright Breakdown! You can come back in!"

The doors immediately open and the blue bruiser shuffles in, "Uh...all good in here?"

"Let's just say that I don't know if Dwarf needs a hug first or if I do," the medic smiles, huffing as he stands, his legs shake for a moment and he leans on the berth with one servo to collect himself.

"I'm sorry," Breakdown suddenly blurts out as his optic locks onto me, "I...I can't imagine what it's like..."

I frown at him, "What do you mean?"

He scratches the back of his neck, "Well, uh, I overheard your brother muttering to himself as he walked away. I couldn't quite make it out, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I heard him say 'he already born blind, why take that away only to give him a life of torment'...or something like that."

"...Beware whispers of temptation," I mutter, this is something I've kept from my sisters, but not Red, no...I could never keep this from my Split-Spark brother, "As it is written in the Covenant of Primus: He shall tempt you with what you desire most of all. As time passes He shall eventually give it to you, but will only let you keep it if He remains in your mind. For it will be His power that grants you your desire and it will be the same power that takes it away. He shan't ask for consent, so even if you reject His offer, you will still get what you secretly want most of all."

"...What?" the ex-Wrecker gives me a blank look.

I ignore him for now and look at Knock Out, "You never told Magnus I was blind."

The medic bites his lip, "I never knew, all sparklings are born with pale optics, so...how did you see the from the cameras in Praxus though?"

New life screaming in agony, little frames burning before my optics and one calls for me, begging for its life at such a young age...getting colder and colder as their life force dims...yet I can do nothing but watch... "They were heat sensors."

There's silence, one that stretches for a longtime, I don't know how long. All I know is that it's awkward.

Then Knock Out speaks up, "Firewalls."

I frown, "What?"

He taps his digits on the berth, "I...well...potentially, if we uploaded the strongest firewall we have multiple times, we could cage the virus. At least, until I work out the anti-virus."

I don't even hesitate with my answer, "Okay."

"But if what you say is true," he mutters, "because the firewalls will separate Him from the rest of your processor, you could lose your sight."

"I don't _care_ ," I clench my fists as they shake, "If having this thing in my processor is the price of seeing, then I don't want to see! Nothing is worth this endless nightmare! Not even a rainbow with a thousand colours!"

**********

Twenty breems, that's how long Knock Out said it'll take to upload the firewalls. Five joors if I'm awake. I want to see His face, to see the horror as He realises what a bad idea it was to come into my processor. But now...now I feel like I'm the one who made the bad decision in letting myself get so close to Him, even if it's for the last time.

I sit in the corner, listening Him list His names, trying to anchor Himself to this part of my mind by adding the designations to strings of ancient incantations. I manage to pick up a few of them amongst the glossa twisting words: Thunderwing, Dawn of Chaos, Cybervore, Cribcreeper, Soulsnatcher, Son of Destruction and The Nightmare with a Thousand Names.

Without warning He shrieks with rage, "Why isn't it working?! Frag you, you fragging medic! Frag everything!"

His helm snaps to the side, "~Especially White Dwarf!~"

Then snaps to the other side, "Well of course, but we must be gentle, tender, make him want it."

"~No! Rough, hard! Tear him in half! Make him scream for mercy!~"

"Now, now, let me have my turn and then you can take him afterwards."

"~Translation: I get the fucking sloppy seconds! No fucking thank you!~"

"We've discussed this, I make him want it, then you jump the adorable little bugger after I soften and stretch him."

Oh Primus... Two, there's two personalities! Two sides! The rational, word-twisting one and the violent, mind-toying one. For three vorns I'd always assumed He had an anger issue, or a very dark sense of humor, but it's worse than that. I struggle to not shiver and sob as He continues to argue with Himself.

"~Ah, you know me too well, I do love the easy way... But once we're done with him, we go after that bloody, black, blue and red faced Triple-Changer!~"

"Agreed. You shall have the reins so that you may inflict as much revenge on him as possible."

"~I'm gonna wipe that fucking smile of that giggling freaks face, wipe it with extreme prejudice!~"

"Then we must have three more victory frags before we interface with them for the simple enjoyment. I'm thinking we go with Megatron, then Soundwave while making his minicons watch and last of all, we will have-"

"~Knock Out! We make him bitch number two! Hehehe... We can play doctor and patient!~"

"Knock Out it is then, but he shall just be a...bitch, as you put it. White Dwarf will, without any doubt of there being any competition, be our Bonded."

"~Sparklings!~" 

"Of course, he will have many of our sparklings!"

"~Sex! Sex everywhere! Hahahaha!~"

A soft whimper falls from my lips and my servos fly up to cover my mouth.

But it's too late.

"~Ah! Hello there my little pet~" the violent side takes point and turns his sneering face towards me.

"Stop, no!" I try to scoot further back into the corner, but I can't go any further.

"~Are you here for game time?~" he coos, taking a step towards me while still wearing that leering look.

I make a pitiful attempt at ignoring him, yet my tears of fear betray my weak will and depleted sanity.

"~Oh, I know~" he giggles, "~let's have a singalong!~"

I sob and cover my audials, "Stop, please, stop!"

"~No? Alright, I'll sing on my own then~" he purrs and clears his throat, "~Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome. He'll eat your soul. Turn your Spark to stone. Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome. **Run, little robot, run away home!~"**

_**"Enough!"** _

Something resembling a falling comet crashes into the deity. The Spawn of Unicron shrieks in a cocktail of rage and shock as He's pinned beneath the glowing intruder.

"Cease your petty, undesirable toying!" a deep, melodic voice snarls as the ball of white light above my demon flares, "Or I shall see to it that you cease to exist!"

Spawn laughs, albeit managing to sound nervous as well as tough, His expression is of the latter, "Now there's a hollow threat if I've ever heard one. Be sure to watch where you step my good sir, I can be a very horrible mech when I'm pissed off."

The light dims, what it reveals takes my breath away.

He's the opposite of the ebony virus, yet the exact same height. Pure white armour shimmering and glistening, star white wings arched with blue tinted edges. His arms are thicker than the disciple of Unicron's and the claws on his pedes are in better condition. Instead of having horns like Spawn's helm decoration, he has a tiny, white wing above each audial. His tail, it's not scaly nor does it have a barb at the tip; it's coverend in short, fine fur with a smooth tuff of hair at the end. Just like an organic version of a Pneuma-Lion's tail.

"My request will be asked only once," the glowing mech growls, baring his flat denta as the ivory coloured sword in his clawed servo shines a deep cerulean.

"Oh, I'm certain my answer will be no," the ebony deity chuckles, smirking up at His attacker.

"I have yet to not offer any who die by my servo a chance, even one as low as yourself will not be the first," the white mech's voice is filled with power, but unlike the creature on the ground this voice doesn't make me cringe. I want to reach for him, let his arms and wings gather me up and cradle me close, strong voice whisper comforting words to me as I slip into a much needed recharge.

"Hollow! Nothing but threats made with an intention to frighten me!" The Spawn of Unicron laughs, shrill and one of an insane mech, "The worst thing you could do is hurt me, and I think you know that I love pain. Because you clearly hate me, why, I don't know, which means that if you had the power to kill me you would've done so by now."

"...You are correct," instead of stepping off the demon the white mech raises his sword and points the tip at Spawn's throat, the intricate carvings on his white visor glow bright gold.

"Would it also be correct to assume that, since you have enough power to enter White Dwarf's processor even though you're not made of code, you're a Prime?" the virus chuckles, still smirking and gazing up at the mech with his hollow optic sockets.

"...Yes and no," the mech mutters, "what is the point of this interrogation?"

"It's just that..." Spawn purrs and His optic sockets narrow, "I have no idea who you are."

Never, and I mean never, have I ever heard Him say those words when talking about anyone. Ever.

"But you do know me," the Knight-like being huffs, "I am your salvation, your redemption and yet...I am also your end."

"Oh, I don't think so my dear."

Without warning The Spawn of Unicron slashes the mech's legs, causing him to stagger back. The virus leaps up, beats His wings once, twice, and transforms. Gears move, shifting and grinding, forcing the ebony being down on all fours. His mouth lenghtens and curves downwards to create a beak. His sockets narrow as His back legs lengthen and his tail arches. 

"Am I meant to be impressed?" the white winged being growls and drops his sword...before transforming into the exact same thing!

The virus takes two steps back, slitted optic sockets widening as He squawks in surprise.

The other prowls forward, helm down and organic tail flicking from side to side for a bit. Then it wraps around the hilt of the sword and curls upwards to try and match the dark code's tail. Spawn growls, taking a step back, face riddled with confusion. He hisses as a red flame flares up in front of Him, then it vanishes as quick as it appeared.

The firewalls.

Another column of fire roars to life, then disappears. The third burns bright, defiant to the action of dimming into embers like the previous ones. The white mech stalks forward, crouching for a moment before he leaps though the fire and roars at his opponent. He skids as he lands, using the momentum to swing his whole body around and slice the sharp sword at Spawn. But the dark mech uses His barbed tail to block the blade.

The two deities slash and claw at one another, yet the fire gives the visored mech the upper servo. It doesn't take the flames long to catch The Spawn of Unicron's wings in their grasp, then it's all over. With a screech of agony and rage my demon retreats, wings burning, leaving crimson embers in His wake.

"Vanquished for the first of three," the white being sighs and transforms as he strides over to me.

I try to huddle further back into the corner, but stop as he kneels down in front of me. The mech touches my cheek plate with gentle digits, the movement of his touch similar to the virus'. Yet unlike the beast's caress, this touch is soothing, caring and dare I even _think_ it...loving.

I twitch as his lips suddenly cover mine, I've never been kissed before. I'm in stasis and this is all happening in my processor, so does this count as my first? Moonbeam said her's had been awkward, however, this is anything but. He's so tender, even though he's more than twice my size, servo stroking my cheek as the other pets my wrist with his thumb. I melt. It's all so spontaneous, yet it feels right. My arms wrap around his neck and press my lips against his. His arm wraps around my shoulders, digits stroking my wing in slow, soothing motions.

He makes a soft rumbling sound as he pulls away a little, letting out a sigh of content against my lips, causing me to shiver, "My Ang- um...White...Dwarf...are you alright?"

"Y-...yes," I murmur. Everything begins to fade, I gaze up at my saviour and soak in the sight of him; pleased that such a beautiful, kind being will be the last thing I ever see, "Who are you?"

He stares at me, lips a thin line and yet expression still tender, "...Protector," his mouth curves into the faintest of smiles, "my designation is Protector... But you have met me before this orbital, however, you have yet to meet my acquaintance. You will know me better than any other, but that shall not be for many a vorn. Although I must say that I am pleased you have seen me without my help, even if it is just this once...my love."

**********

Darkness.

I check my sensors, yes, my optics are online and I can't see a thing...it's marvellous.

A smile finds a home on my lips and I sigh. Music, I can hear music. It's faint, but the source is in this room. The soft beat bounces off the walls along with every other surface in the room, my sensitive audials relay the information to my processor and within less than half a nanoklik I get a fuzzy map of the room. The source is a datapad sitting on the table beside several blurred lines. I listen to that one spot and discover that the lines are medical instruments.

_Welcome to the planet_  
_Welcome to existence_  
_Everyone's here_  
_Everyone's here_

My smile broadens as I realise that I know this song. It's my favourite.

_Everybody's watching you now_  
_Everybody waits for you now_  
_What happens next_  
_What happens next_

I sit up and my processor spins, causing me to sway a little as I lie back, supporting myself on my elbows. I quiver and grin, remembering what being dizzy was like when I could see. The room tilting this way and that in distorted chaos.

_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

Ah, yes, the chorus is the best part of the song. Many times when I couldn't bring myself to face a world I couldn't even see, I would put this song on. I'd listen to it several times before finding my lost smile, finding the joy of life still there in the beating of my Spark, then go out and greet the world with a spring in my step.

_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to move_  
_Like today never happened_  
_Today never happened before_

I give a soft, yet triumphant chuckle as I swing my legs over the edge of the berth. Just like every morning, getting out of berth was always like taking a leap of faith into the unknown. Never knowing if someone had altered my room while I was recharging. But once I got the music playing and had turned it up just high enough for what I needed the room would light up with sound and I'd find my bearings once more.

_Welcome to the fallout_  
_Welcome to resistance_  
_The tension is here_

With a wiggle and a push my pedes meet the floor, immediately my arms pinwheel back till my aft finds the edge of the berth. There's a beat of silence, then I just laugh before pushing myself up for another try.

_Tension is here_  
_Between who you are and who you could be_  
_Between how it is and how it should be_

"Dwarf?" Knock Out's voice catches my attention, I grin as it acts like a beacon, indicating where he is.

"Knock Out," I giggle, taking a few tentative shuffles and my digits finally let go of the berth, leaving me in a sea of darkness in an unknown room.

Yet I can't stop smiling.

_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

I bring my servos out in front of me and slowly sweep them from side to side. I half walk and half shuffle to the source of the music.

"You need some help?" he takes a step.

"No, no," I hold up a servo in his direction, "let me."

_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to move_  
_Like today never happened_  
_Today never happened before_

I feel alive.

I want to cry, to laugh, dance, jump and do a hundred other things in this single moment. Pede steps, I hear them, but they're heavier than the medic's. One delicate click immediately followed by another, a single Sparkbeat of silence, then the same thing is repeated.

A quick bark of laughter bursts from my mouth, "Hello, Starscream."

_Maybe redemption has stories to tell_  
_Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell_  
_Where can you run to escape from yourself?_

The SIC covers the rest of his gasp with a growl, "Are you sure your optics aren't operational? How did you know is was me?"

Aha! I don't cover my own gasp as my servos make contact with the datapad, "Your step is a very unique one."

And all the while I can hear Knock Out struggling to not laugh, as well as many sniggers and chuckles coming from another room.

_Where you gonna go?_  
_Where you gonna go?_  
_Salvation is here_

Red Giant, my optics and brother, you saved it when Praxus fell; I've been wondering why you ran back to the barricades yet came out with nothing. This datapad is my old one. Designed for the blind, every pixel is represented by a microscopic block which pokes up to create whatever is meant to be on the screen and is able to create some 3D images if the file is a hologram.

I raise the volume of the music and my audio receptors perk up as the room comes to life, I 'see' every object, every surface. Although it's not as clear as it could be if the music were at maximum.

_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor_

The Seeker huffs, "Wimp's music."

"Now, now, Screamer," Knock Out mutters, "play nice."

Yet, even with the insult, I keep smiling my delighted smile as I tilt my helm to the side, "Oh, so you like the song then, Commander Starscream?"

"Stop it with the sass and get your aft out here!" Nebula's slick voice calls out as everyone else laughs.

_I dare you to move_  
_I dare you to move_  
_Like today never happened_

Clutching the datapad to my chassis, I take a few wobbly steps towards the door, nodding at the SIC as I pass him and stepping into the entrance room of the medical bay. With each step I gain a little more confidence and the music acts like a light in a dark cave, creating a fuzzy layout of my surroundings for about four espe. Everything beyond that radius is too distorted see and too far away to worry about; yet there's several pockets of sound.

_Today never happened_  
_Today never happened_  
_Today never happened before..._

Two of the pockets are behind me, Starscream and Knock Out. To my left is another two, three in front, one larger than the other two and another even larger one to my right. I take a complete guess at who is who. So, the two to my left are most likely Nebula and Solarflare. Judging by the sitting, suggestively leaning back, one leg over the other of one and the fact that the other is lying on their front with their pedes kicking thin air.

Which means the ones in front of me are Starhopper, sitting like a dainty, young femme, and Moonbeam, who is leaning on a console. The large one is obviously Red Giant, standing tall and proud. The larger pocket of sound could be any one of many though.

A quick check of my sibling's Bonds tells me that I'm right about who's in front and to the left. I stretch my EM field, letting it brush against the one of the unknown bot. Their emotional reaction speaks louder than words ever could, immediately bombarding me with several outraged and suspicious responses. They calm down faster than their outburst began and everything in their field becomes messages of curiosity, admiration and acceptance.

I turn my helm and nod at the mech, "Lord Megatron."

"...Incredible," he whispers, straightening up from his leaning position against the wall, "I must ask though, how?"

"Your frame's mechanisms are louder than my brother's, who is larger than the Vehicons and Breakdown," I explain as I subspace my datapad, "yet it's quite a large difference, so it could've been Lugnut, Dreadwing, Skyquake, Blitzwing or you. Lugnut isn't a logical choice for many reasons and Dreadwing never leaves his brother's side. So a quick EM check tells me who it is."

"Not the most humble of mechs," Solarflare laughs.

I open my mouth to respond, but someone grabs me, I yelp as they lift me off my pedes and press their chassis against mine. A screech of protest almost leaves my throat, yet the deep rumbling purr of my brother's engine stops me. I nuzzle close to him, rubbing my fin against his as he trembles from a mixture of relief, joy and several other emotions.

~I'm fine, Red~

~I felt your fear~ he whispers, ~it became something else, something happier. Whatever it was, it was powerful...it frightened me~

I hide the images of Protector from him, afraid that he'll ask questions I don't even have answers for at the moment. My sisters smother me from behind, clicking and chirping with happiness and delight.

They're the reason I never care where I am, why the only reason I pay attention to my surroundings was so I know where to place my pedes. No matter where I am, no matter what my room looks like, I'll always feel safe and happy with my siblings by my side.

Because wherever we are, as long as we're all safe and together, we are home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I worked out Spawn's and Protector's heights if you're interested: their both 55-56 ft, their alt modes are 35-36 ft (because they have long legs) and their wingspan is 180 ft because their wings are only organic and the rest of their frames (not including their tail) are metal, so I guess the wings would obviously have to be big to lift them. They're not exactly like bird wings though, they have more joints so they can be wrapped around the frame like a cloak; with the joints 30 ft from their back on each one touching above their helm to make the hood.
> 
> **Keep in mind this is a rough guess made by using numbers that are rough guesses!**  
> 
> I had the idea of making White Dwarf blind after I had posted chapter two and had finished writing chapters three and four. So I've done my best to cover any massive plot holes it created or at least made them small enough so that a truck can no longer fit through them. I'll be doing some more plot hole covering in chapters seven and eight for some other guys, so stay tuned.
> 
> Edit: Go check out the other chapters, I gave them summaries that I put in on my FanFiction account. I can tell you now they gave me chills and were most likely the reasons some people got hooked so fast.


	7. Note from author

*pokes head through door* ...Wow...it's been over a year? *nervously laughs for the next minute* Heeeyyy guys!

Just wanna let you know that I haven't abandoned this story, I'm refining it and I'm gonna reupload it with the new title "The Unsung" and I'm redoing all the chapters, giving them a complete makeover and touching up characters along with their personal arcs and development. I'm still struggling through the first few chapters but I'm determined to get this done!

Also if you have an OC that you don't mind being in this story then ~~PM~~  email me (peacefultyrant@gmail.com) their profile using the following profile sheet format, you can remove the writing in brackets:

**Warning!!! Any OC's not submitted with the following format will be ignored! I will inform you of this and give you a second chance but that is all!**

**And please, a maximum of three OC's per person! And no back stories!**

**I WILL NOT BE ASKING FOR A FACTION BECAUSE SOME OF THEM WON'T HAVE ONE!**

**I am done shouting now!**

_Name: (1 nickname if applicable)_

_Alt mode: (if triple changer/phase sixer then list them in most favoured during combat to least)_

_Description: (maximum of 5 sentences; please *hint hint*)_

_Optic colour: (nothing too poetic please)_

_Spark colour: (and type if they have it, if not I'll just make something up if need be)_

_Personality: (For triple changer/phase sixer I'm not doing the Transformers Animated Blitzwing thing anymore, so if they're like that then please readjust accordingly, also, only 10 sentences max. please)_

_Weapons and abilities: (this includes combat training and stuff, if an outlier then give a description of their ability)_

Thank you and spread the word, I'm gonna include all of them, I swear on all that I hold dear!

...No seriously, I'm gonna fucking do it...


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